Having founded IKEA at the age of 17, he became the 8th richest man in the world (and probably the richest one getting there by making actual things) but always lived in his native Smâland province in Sweden.
Of course, we had all manners of ridicule for the cheap furiture and shoddy quality (IKEA= Idioten kaufen einfach alles, idiots will bei enything: Ich kriege einen Anfall, I'm going apoplectice, etc). But 27 years after moving out from my parents' home, I still have the double styrofoam mattress sleep sofa I bought for that flat. It has seen a whole range of body fluids, but we still use it in one of the kids' rooms where it is trampled upon, slept upon and kicked about mercilessly. Many of the things I bought in 1991 we only threw away when we moved into the new house, and the kids still have well-aged bookshelves in their rooms.
So, thanks a lot, man, and well.done. Besides, the kötbullar, Swedish hot dogs (with ketchup, mustard, remoulade, fried onions and sweet pickled cucumbers) and soft ice were awesome!