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Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria

b. 1940

Born
31 Dec 1940, Stockholm
Country of birth
Sweden

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

facts
5
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

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A life in time

  1. Born · Stockholm

    Birth, Stockholm

What was it like?

The world around Stockholm, 1940: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Princess was born the same year as John Lennon, Pelé, and Bruce Lee.

Born the same year

  • John Lennon

    British musician (1940–1980)

  • Pelé

    Brazilian footballer (1940–2022)

  • Bruce Lee

    Hong Kong–American martial artist and actor (1940–1973)

  • Jair da Costa

    Brazilian footballer (1940–2025)

  • Al Pacino

    American actor (born 1940)

  • Wangari Muta Maathai

    Kenyan environmentalist and politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 (1940–2011)

Fashion

Strict traditional clothing rules in Dalarna

In northern Dalarna, traditional clothing rules were so strict that a woman once returned home crying after being barred from church for wearing an unsuitable apron.

Around 1930–1939

Categorized women's dresses in the 1930s

During the 1930s, women's dresses were categorized by occasion, ranging from dark, simple everyday dresses worn just below the knees to elaborate long evening gowns for gala events.

Music

Gramophones Threatened Live Dance Music

By the 1930s and 1940s, the rise of large gramophones at public dance events caused alarm among professional musicians, who feared these machines would kill live dance orchestras.

Emergence of Fiddlers' Groups

Organized groups of amateur fiddlers, known as spelmanslag, began to develop in the 1940s, shifting folk music from barn settings to stages.

Getting around

Walking 100 Kilometers for Daily Errands

In the early 20th century, some residents relied on walking extreme distances; a man named Hans Henrik Hansson regularly walked 100 kilometers to Sundsvall and back in a single day to deliver errands.

Around 1930–1930

Fast Electric Rail Travel in 1930

By 1930, electric trains between Stockholm and Gothenburg covered the 458-kilometer distance in 5 hours and 44 minutes. Seats on these principal trains could be reserved for a fee of 25 öre.

Daily life

Crowded homes and shared kitchen duties

Many families lived in cramped one-room apartments where the kitchen served as a living room, dining room, and sometimes a bedroom for children. In some homes, family members had to share cutlery, making it impossible for everyone to eat at the same time.

Gas tokens and creative fuel conservation

Gas for cooking was often measured by a coin-operated meter that required special tokens, which could be purchased at grocery or milk shops. Families also used wood-fired stoves and, during shortages, would use creative methods like pre-boiling potatoes and finishing them inside an insulated wooden box.

Food

Wartime rationing and coffee substitutes

During World War II, coffee was strictly rationed starting in March 1940, leading people to use various surrogates. Many families hoarded goods like sugar and coffee, and some families even bartered coupons to obtain meat.

Milk as the standard mealtime drink

Milk was the standard beverage for everyday meals in Swedish households during this period. Water was rarely cited as a mealtime drink because it was often associated with poverty or stinginess.

Work
Around 1936–1936

Wages and benefits for service staff

In 1936, a warehouse porter earned 200 kronor per month, while his wife earned 40 kronor for cleaning the facilities. They received additional benefits including free housing, lighting, heating, gas, and a telephone.

Extreme conditions in forest work

During the log driving season, forest workers sometimes worked for more than 24 hours without rest to capitalize on high water levels. In winter, loggers often had to dig through deep snow to keep stumps low and avoid fines for poor performance.

News and letters

Express airmail delivery

By using airmail with the "Luftpost, Express" label, letters could be delivered in London or Paris on the same evening they were sent.

Stable letter postage rates

The domestic postage for a letter in Sweden remained 15 öre from 1922 until 1942, when it was raised to 20 öre.

During their lifetime

  1. 1947

    Pension and child allowance laws, 1947

    Laws establishing a national basic pension and national child allowance were passed in 1947.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.