L. O. Smith and Karlshamn
The bustling port town of Karlshamn was where L. O. Smith spent his formative years. It was there that as a child he was taken under the wing of his […]
World events
L.O. Smith’s Swedish competitors
We often think of L.O. Smith as Sweden’s one and only vodka king. But in fact he was far from the only producer of vodka and other alcoholic drinks. Get […]
The travels of L.O. Smith
L.O. Smith had an international mindset. If we wanted to meet people, practice the seven languages he knew, or finalize a business deal, he would never allow distance to be […]
Long working days, short lives
In L.O. Smith’s Stockholm, a regular working day was 18 hours. People rarely lived longer than 40 years.
“Motboken”: The rationing booklet
The rationing booklet “Motboken” is introduced, and the state-owned liquor stores get full control of the alcohol monopoly in Sweden. From this day, there were no private wine merchants in […]
The beginning of the Victorian era
Victoria ascended the throne and became Queen of the United Kingdom shortly after her 18th birthday. The era named after her lasted until she passed away on 22 January 1901. […]
Sweden’s drinking habits
In the 1830s and 1840s, it was common for Swedish people over 15 years to drink at least two liters of spirits a week. On a regular day, this would […]
Ban on homemade spirits
Until 1855, it had been allowed to make spirits for personal consumption at home. To reduce the country’s increasing drinking problems, a ban came into force. The ban would prove […]
The first World Exhibition
On May 1, 1851, the first World Exhibition was held at the newly built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London. During six months, six million visitors met 14,000 exhibitors from […]
The American gold rush
On January 24, 1848, James W Marshall found gold at the Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, El Dorado in California. The news spread and some 300,000 people from South America, Europe, […]
Darwin’s theories
In his book About the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin presented his revolutionary ideas. Darwin questioned the view of human origin and evolution as presented in the Bible, which was […]
The American Civil War starts
Shortly after Abraham Lincoln became president of the United States in 1860, 11 of the 36 states left the federation and formed America’s Confederate States. In April, the American Civil […]