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Ragnar Benson (contractor)
Eric Ragnar Benson (born July 29, 1899 in Virestad, Älmhult, Sweden, died March 10, 1979, in Chicago) was a Swedish-American building contractor in Chicago whose firm was one of the ten largest in the United States and employed thousands. Benson was the son of Karl Edvard Bengtsson and Matilda Bengtsdotter, and one of 10 children. He arrived without means in the United States at age 11, became a stonemason and bricklayer, created Ragnar Benson Inc. in 1922 and by 1969 was given the Horatio Alger Award. His firm worked for many major U. S. companies, builChrysler assembly plant, Belvidere, 1964-65and the famous towers at Three Mile Island. Ragnar Benson Inc. had built Chicago structures including the CNA Building and Harbor Point Towers and had performed maintenance work on city buildings including Tribune Tower and the Wrigley Building. Benson was widely known for philanthropic generosity which at times was considered eccentric. The King of Sweden once stopped his car to ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Älmhult
Älmhult () is a locality and the seat of Älmhult Municipality in Kronoberg County, Sweden with 17950 as of 2024 It was in Älmhult that the first IKEA (the Swedish furniture company) store was built. IKEA continues to have a large corporate presence there. A museum of IKEA's history, the IKEA Museum, opened in the town on 30 June 2016. It was constructed to present the history of IKEA. Visitors to Älmhult can also experience thIKEA Hotel which opened in 1964. It is near IKEA's offices and opposite the IKEA Museum. The botanist Carl Linnaeus was born in Råshult, Stenbrohult, which is now part of Älmhult Municipality. Älmhult has a local gymnasium called Haganässkolan and an international school that goes up to Year 10. Haganässkolan is an International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Småland
Småland () is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name ''Småland'' literally means "small lands", referring to many small historic provinces from which it was composed. The Latinized form has been used in other languages. The highest point in Småland is Tomtabacken, at 377 metres (1,237 ft). In terms of total area, Småland is similar in size to Belgium and Israel. Administration Whilst the traditional provinces of Sweden no longer serve any governmental purpose ''per se'', they do retain historical and cultural importance. The province of Småland today is divided almost entirely into the three administrative Counties of Sweden, counties of Jönköping County, Jönköping, Kalmar County, Kalmar, and Kronoberg County, Kronoberg. Some few small portions of historic Småland are situated in Halland County, Halland and Öst ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1979 Deaths
Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ''Chiquitita'' to commemorate the event. ** In 1979, the United States officially severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan). This decision marked a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, turning to view the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China. ** The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full Sino-American relations, diplomatic relations. ** Following a deal agreed during 1978, France, French carmaker Peugeot completes a takeover of American manufacturer Chrysler's Chrysler Europe, European operations, which are based in United Kingdom, Britain's former Rootes Group factories, as well as the former Simca factories in France. * January 6 – Geylang Bahru family ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1899 Births
Events January * January 1 ** Spanish rule formally ends in Cuba with the cession of Spanish sovereignty to the U.S., concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.''The American Monthly Review of Reviews'' (February 1899), pp. 153-157 ** In Samoa, followers of Mataafa, claimant to the rule of the island's subjects, burn the town of Upolu in an ambush of followers of other claimants, Malietoa Tanus and Tamasese, who are evacuated by the British warship HMS ''Porpoise''. ** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City. * January 2 – Theodore Roosevelt is inaugurated as Governor of New York at the age of 39. * January 3 – A treaty of alliance is signed between Russia and Afghanistan. * January 5 – **A fierce battle is fought between American troops and Filipino defenders at the town of Pililla on the island of Luzon. *The collision of a British steamer and a French steamer kills 12 people on the English Channel. * Jan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philanthropists From Illinois
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material gain; and with government endeavors that are public initiatives for public good, such as those that focus on the provision of public services. A person who practices philanthropy is a philanthropist. Etymology The word ''philanthropy'' comes , from 'to love, be fond of' and 'humankind, mankind'. In , Plutarch used the Greek concept of to describe superior human beings. During the Middle Ages, was superseded in Europe by the Christian virtue of ''charity'' (Latin: ) in the sense of selfless love, valued for salvation and escape from purgatory. Thomas Aquinas held that "the habit of charity extends not only to the love of God, but also to the love of our neighbor". Sir Francis Bacon considered ''philanthrôpÃa'' to be synonymous with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Builders
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label that was previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Businesspeople From Chicago
A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) to generate cash flow, sales, and revenue by using a combination of human, financial, intellectual, and physical capital to fuel economic development and growth. History Medieval period: Rise of the merchant class Merchants emerged as a social class in medieval Italy. Between 1300 and 1500, modern accounting, the bill of exchange, and limited liability were invented, and thus, the world saw "the first true bankers", who were certainly businesspeople. Around the same time, Europe saw the " emergence of rich merchants." This "rise of the merchant class" came as Europe "needed a middleman" for the first time, and these "burghers" or "bourgeois" were the people who played this role. Renaissance to Enlightenment: Rise of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American People Of Swedish Descent
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label that was previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Augustana College (Illinois)
Augustana College is a private Lutheran college in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The college enrolls approximately 2,350 students. Its campus is adjacent to the Mississippi River and covers of hilly, wooded land. History Augustana College was founded as Augustana College and Theological Seminary in 1860 by the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod. Located first in Chicago, it moved to Paxton, Illinois, in 1863 and to Rock Island, Illinois, its current home, in 1875. After 1890, an increasingly large Swedish American community in America promoted a new institutional structure, including a lively Swedish-language press, many new churches, several colleges, and a network of ethnic organizations. The result was to foster a sense of Swedishness with pride in the United States. Thus, there emerged a self-confident Americanized generation. Augustana College put itself in the lead of the movement to affirm Swedish American identity. Early on all the students ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
