Did you know
- ...that the Finnish Communist leader Arvo Tuominen broke with the Soviet Union during the Winter War and ordered the Finnish Communists not to assist the Red Army?
- ...that mobile phone throwing is an international sport in which thrown mobile phones are judged by the distance and choreographics of the throw?
- ...that the self-taught weapon designer Aimo Lahti designed over 50 weapons of all types prior to and during World War II, including the successful Suomi M-31?
- ...that Norse sagas record some Finnish campaigns against Sweden in the mid-8th century?
- ...that Larin Paraske, a Finnish oral poet, could recite over 32,000 verses of poetry?
- ...the Finnish Air Force selected the Saab 91 Safir as its primary trainer aircraft over the domestic Valmet Tuuli III?
- ...that the Kaleva, a Finnish passenger plane carrying diplomatic post, was shot down by Soviet bombers in an act of aggression?
- ...that the majority of Assyrians in Finland live in Oulu, the sixth largest city in the country?
- ...that Finland was close to becoming an independent kingdom in 1742?
- ...that the Saint Petersburg–Hiitola railroad was completed by 1917, but a year later the Finnish Civil War caused traffic to stop, with a mile of track removed?
- ...that the cruiseferry M/S Nordlandia (originally M/S Olau Hollandia) was built to be NATO-compatible, so that she could easily be converted to a troopship?
- ...that Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, resigned after confessing to torture and forgery?
- ...that the Finnish-Novgorodian wars only ended with the Swedish conquest of Finland in 1249, resulting in the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars?
- ...the crash of Aero Flight 311, which claimed the lives of all 25 people on board, was the worst aviation accident ever to occur in Finland?
- ...that some areas of the Finnish Lakeland have up to 1,000 lakes per 100 km²?
- ...that the Finnish company YIT was responsible for the construction of the Finnish National Opera house, the Helsinki Fair Centre and Cirrus, the tallest high-rise building in Finland?
- ...that the paintings in the Espoo Cathedral were painted over in the 18th century, as they were thought to be "crude and superstitious'?
- ...that there are three unilingually Swedish municipalities in one province of mainland Finland?
- ...that Maria, the Finnish form of Mary, is the most popular Finnish name used during the modern era?
- ...that Finnish film director Valentin Vaala was reportedly so disappointed with his first film that he dumped the original camera negatives into the sea?
- ...that the career of Tiia Piili, four-time FISAF World Champion in sport aerobics, was threatened when she got food poisoning attending a competition in Morocco?
- ...that Erkki Karu founded both Suomi-Filmi and Suomen Filmiteollisuus, the two largest film production companies during the 'Golden Age' of Finnish cinema?
- ...that "Blooddrunk", a track by Finnish band Children of Bodom about self-destructive behaviour, debuted at number one in Finland?
- ...that Taisto Mäki, one of the so-called Flying Finns, was the first man to run 10,000 metres in under half an hour?
- ...that when called by the opposition to quit after the Kauhajoki school shooting, Finnish politician Anne Holmlund refused and compared resigning her post as Interior Minister to "desertion"?
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Pielinen-SU.jpg/80px-Pielinen-SU.jpg)
- ... that the asteroid 1536 Pielinen is named after Pielinen Lake (pictured) in Finland?
- ...that according to Lapsiporno.info, a blacklist of websites compiled by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation included those containing legal pornography?
- ...that Ismo Alanko Säätiö's accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen has been dubbed the "Jimi Hendrix of the accordion" by the Finnish music press?
- ...that the Christmas carol Personent hodie, first published in the 1582 Finnish song book Piae Cantiones, is thought to be a parody of a 12th-century carol?
- ...that Anssi Koivuranta is leading the 2008–09 Nordic Combined World Cup right now?
- ...that the Finnish tango is an established variation of the Argentine tango and one of the most enduring and popular music forms in Finland?
- ...that when completed in 1967, MS Finlandia was the largest ferry in the world?
- ...that the Pysähdy ajoissa - Stanna i tid ("Stop in time") traffic campaign was the result of the public response to a road death of a nine-year-old girl in Finland?
- ...that the Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers has been in charge of publishing Finland's ethical guidelines on engineering for over 40 years?
- ...that Penedo, a small town in Brazil was colonized by immigrants from Finland?
- ...that the Wärtsilä Turku shipyard in Finland built five state-of-the-art cruiseferries for the Black Sea Shipping Company, Soviet Union, in 1975-1976?
- ...that the prototypes for the WW II German U-boat fleet (Type II pictured) were designed by a Dutch company and built in Finland at the Crichton-Vulcan shipyard?
- ...that while repelling Soviet advances across the frozen Lake Suvanto, Finland managed to capture 12 anti-tank guns, 140 machine guns, 200 light machine guns and 1500 rifles in the Battle of Kelja in 1939?
- ...that Major Carl Mothander, the leader of Swedish volunteers in the Estonian War of Independence, later wrote books on Estonian politics that were banned in Finland?
- ...that the Korpela movement was a short-lived cult during the 1930s in Northern Sweden and Finland whose controversial sexual rituals eventually led to the arrest of 60 followers?
- ...that in 1745, Daniel Juslenius, a Finnish Fennoman, finished the first formal Finnish dictionary?
- ... that Sinikka Kukkonen was the first World Champion in ski orienteering?
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