When the Finnish Rule the World Quiz

Answer: Formula One racing driver

Following in the footsteps of compatriots Mika Salo, Keke Rosberg and Mika Häkkinen, Kimi Räikkönen has driven for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari (with whom he won the 2007 Drivers' Championship), Lotus and Alfa Romeo. Nicknamed 'the Iceman' for his calm and aloof personality, and one of several sportsmen nicknamed 'the Flying Finn', Räikkönen made his debut with Sauber at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.

He moved to McLaren after former McLaren driver Häkkinen, who was also Räikkönen's mentor, told leader Ron Dennis, "If you want to win, get the Finn." In 2020, he broke the record for most Formula One starts at the Eifel Grand Prix in Germany.

He has also competed in a snowmobile race under the pseudonym of 'James Hunt', after the British racing driver of the same name.

Answer: Writer

Tove Jansson was a writer and artist and the creator of the Moomins, a family of white troll-like creatures who live in the magical Moominvalley. The daughter of artist parents, Jansson studied art in Sweden and started out writing short stories and drawing cartoons for 'Garm', a satirical magazine.

Her first 'Moomin' book, 'The Moomins and the Great Flood', was published in 1945. Some of the characters in the books were based on people Jansson knew, such as Moomintroll's friend Snufkin (based on the philosopher Atos Wirtanen) and Tooticky (based on Tuulikki Pietilä, Jansson's life partner and a fellow Finnish artist).

She also wrote books for adults, such as 'The True Deceiver'. Moomin World, on the island of Kailo, is a theme park dedicated to the Moomins and their world.

Answer: Footballer

Sami Hyypia is a defender most known for his time with Liverpool, for whom he played from 1999 to 2009, and is considered by many fans to be one of their greatest players of the 20th century. Both his parents were footballers and influenced his decision to switch from ice hockey to football.

He partnered Stéphane Henchoz and Jamie Carragher at various points, and co-captained the squad with Robbie Fowler in 2001, winning the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup with them. He was also part of Rafa Benitez's 2005 Champions League-winning squad and 2006 FA Cup-winning squad, although he missed a spot kick.

In his final match, against Tottenham, he came on as a sub and was given the captain's armband by Steven Gerrard. Hyypiä later went on to manage Brighton & Hove Albion, Bayer Leverkusen - for whom he played after leaving Liverpool - and FC Zürich.

Answer: Politician

Tarja Halonen was the eleventh President of Finland, and the first woman to hold the position. Originally a lawyer with the Central Organisation of Trade Unions, with a strong interest in human rights, she started her political career as a member of the Social Democratic Party, and was appointed by Prime Minister Kalevi Sorsa as his secretary in 1974.

In 1987, she became Minister of Social Affairs and Health, then Minister of Justice in 1990, and Minister of Foreign aAffairs in 1995. Halonen ran for President in 2000 , beating former President Esko Aho with 52% of the popular vote.

She was re-elected in 2006, but had to step down in 2012 due to term limits, and was succeeded by Sauli Niinistö of the National Coalition Party.

Answer: Computer engineer

Linus Torvalds is the brains behind Linux, a family of open source operating systems. He developed its kernel (the core programme) in 1991 while studying Computer Science at university, and it was initially used for the GNU operating system. Interested in computers as a child, Torvalds experimented with a Commodore computer and then a Sinclair, even creating his own version of 'Pac-Man'. Torvalds' new system was originally going to be called 'Freax', but Ari Lemmke, an FTP system administrator, called it 'Linux' on the server and Torvalds went along with it. Torvalds also loves penguins, and came up with the idea for Tux, the Linux mascot, after being bitten by a little penguin in an Australian zoo.

Answer: Singer

Tarja Turunen is a classically trained singer, known for her operatic vocals, and the former lead singer of Finnish metal band Nightwish, who she founded with songwriter Tuomas Holopainen and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen in 1996. Their main hits with Turunen on lead vocals include 'Nemo', 'I Wish I Had an Angel' and covers of 'Walking in the Air', the theme from 'The Snowman', and Gary Moore's 'Over the Hills and Far Away'.

She was fired by the band in 2005, due to growing tensions between Holopainen and Turunen's husband, Marcelo Cabuli, and the band issued an open letter on their website saying they no longer wanted to work with her. Swedish singer Anette Olzon replaced her in 2007. Turunen released her first solo album, 'Henkäys Ikuisuudesta' ('Breath from Heaven'), in 2006; the album had a Christmas theme and several covers of Christmas songs.

Answer: Sniper

Simo Häyhä served in the Finnish Army during the Winter War, a conflict between Finland and the Soviet Union which ran from November 1939 to March 1940 after the Soviet Union invaded Finland. He was one of the deadliest snipers of all time, believed to have a kill count of over 500 (which Häyhä estimated in his diary).

A prize-winning marksman as a child, he served in the infantry and wielded both a rifle and a sub-machine gun. The Russians nicknamed him 'Belaya Smert', or 'the White Death', due to his white camouflage outfit which enabled him to blend in with the snow, and he even put snow in his mouth to prevent his breath giving him away.

He was severely disfigured and had to have surgery after being shot in the face by a Red Army soldier.

Answer: Actress

Maila Nurmi, born Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi, was a TV actress, best known for her role as horror show host Vampira. Her birthplace is disputed; she claimed to have been born in Petsamo in Finland, but according to public records, her father had moved from Finland to the USA in 1910, twelve years before she was born.

She started out as a chorus line dancer and pin-up girl before being discovered by producer Hunt Stromberg Jr. at the Bal Caribe Masquerade in 1953, wearing a costume inspired by Morticia Addams. Stromberg wanted her to host horror movies on KABC-TV, a local Los Angeles channel, and Nurmi's husband Dean Riesner suggested the name Vampira.

A remake of the show began in 1981, but the role of Vampira was played by Cassandra Peterson, much to Nurmi's disapproval (she had preferred Lola Falana for the role).

The name of the hostess was later changed to Elvira and Nurmi unsuccessfully attempted to sue Peterson, claiming Elvira was a Vampira rip-off.

Answer: Artist

Tuoko Laaksonen, also known as Tom of Finland, was a gay artist most known for his drawings of manly muscular men, often in 'macho' jobs such as lumberjacks or builders. He first started making erotic art while studying in Helsinki, inspired by labourers he had seen, and also gained an interest in drawing men in uniform after serving in the Finnish Army in the Second World War. Bob Mizer, editor of 'Physique Pictorial', gave him the nickname of 'Tom of Finland' after Laaksonen sent art to the magazine under the name of 'Tom'.

His work greatly influenced modern gay culture and pornography; the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago contains several of his original works.

Answer: Beauty queen

Armi Kuusela was the first winner of the Miss Universe beauty contest, held in 1952. She qualified after winning Suomen Neito ('Maiden of Finland'), a Finnish beauty contest, and becoming a Goodwill Ambassador for Finland. She was crowned with the Romanov Imperial Nuptial Crown, which once belonged to the Russian royal family, and starred in 'Maailman Kaunein Tyttö' ('The Most Beautiful Girl in the World'), a film about her career so far.

While on a world tour in 1953, she visited the Philippines and met her future husband, Virgilio Hilario, who followed her to Japan.

The couple ran a property company and owned a hotel in the Philippines, the Gilarmi Hotel. She settled in the USA with her second husband, American diplomat Albert Williams, after travelling the world with him and became involved in various charitable enterprises.