Marking the ninth storm raging through the Atlantic Basin in 2024
Neutral Switzerland is, in fact, the origin of some of the world's most groundbreaking inventions. It's also the birthplace of gifted intellectuals, influential designers, famous celebrities, and inspirational sports personalities. Home to iconic food and drink brands and desirable luxury goods, this small landlocked European nation is famous, too, for drawing up treaties and conventions that have established standards of international law and the protection of human rights around the globe. Oh, and did anyone mention the spectacular mountain scenery?
Click through the following gallery and be surprised by what Switzerland has done for us.
Swiss-born Federer is one of the most successful tennis players in the history of the game. It all began in his hometown of Basel after he served as a ball boy at the Swiss Indoors, in 1992 and 1993.
The Geneva Conventions first drawn up in 1864 by Swiss businessman Henry Dunant established the standards of international law for humanitarian treatment in war. (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY 2.0)
Switzerland leads the world in watchmaking. In 1601, the first watchmaking guild was founded in Geneva. Handcrafted and known for their precision mechanisms, Swiss watches are also synonymous with luxury, with Rolex (pictured) and Longines among the precision timepieces finding their way onto the wrists of the rich and famous.
The Pontifical Swiss Guard based at the Vatican is among the oldest military units, and only unmarried Swiss Catholic males between 19 and 30 years of age who have completed basic training with the Swiss Armed Forces are recruited into its ranks.
No self respecting outdoors enthusiast would leave home without this handy bit of kit. Originating in the village of Ibach and first produced in 1891, it's one of the most recognized and versatile knives in the world. (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)
The world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator—the biggest machine on the planet—lies in a tunnel 27 km (17 mi) in circumference and as deep as 175 m (574 ft) beneath the France–Switzerland border near Geneva. (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)
Switzerland has the oldest policy of military neutrality in the world, established by the Treaty of Paris in 1815. Pictured: Switzerland in 1915, surrounded by members of opposing alliances.
Introduced in 1908 and still produced in the Swiss capital Bern, the Toblerone chocolate bar is known for its distinctive triangular shape and packaging. (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY 3.0)
The Geneva-based relief agency provides for humanitarian aid in times of war. The agency is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the symbols of which can be seen in major conflict zones around the world.
Switzerland's notoriously secretive banking laws have come under intense scrutiny. But disclosing client information has itself been considered a serious social and criminal offense in the country since the early 1900s.
Her appearance in 'Dr No' (1962) as Bond girl Honey Ryder in that bikini got everybody shaken and stirred. Bet they were all goggle-eyed back in the actress' home town of Ostermundigen.
An anise-flavored highly alcoholic beverage, absinthe originated in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland in the late 18th century. Though often portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive substance and hallucinogen, the tipple was enjoyed by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Vincent van Gogh, and Oscar Wilde, among many other brilliant and creative minds.
Born in Zurich, actor Bruno Ganz gave many fine performances throughout his illustrious 60-year career. But it was his portrayal as Adolf Hitler in the Oscar-nominated film 'Downfall' (2004) that won him international acclaim.
Straddling the border between Switzerland and Italy is the iconic Matterhorn, one of the most photographed mountains in the world. It's said the design of the Toblerone chocolate bar was inspired by its near-symmetrical pyramidal peak.
The small village of Kessil is the birthplace of influential psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung.
Albert Hofmann was the first known person to synthesize, ingest, and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 2.5)
Switzerland is known for its couverture chocolate, a very high-quality class of chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter. Popular brands of Swiss couverture chocolate of the sort favored by pastry chefs include Lindt & Sprüngli (pictured).
Far more accessible than top-end timepieces but in many ways just as desirable is the Swatch, a fashionable line of Swiss watches that remains a favorite accessory with young, trendy creatives.
The first bobsleighs were built in St. Moritz in the early 19th century, originally to keep wealthy British tourists occupied during the winter months. Men's four-man bobsleigh appeared in the first-ever Winter Olympic Games in 1924, though it was a competitive sport as early as 1902. (Photo: Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)
No, they are not made by greedy rodents having their fill. Rather, according to scientists, the holes in Swiss cheese are created by flecks of hay during the production process.
A Swiss national dish, the earliest known recipe for cheese fondue dates back to a 1699 book published in Zurich.
The peaceful, neutral Swiss are responsible for this effective small-arms projectile. Invented in 1882 by Swiss Colonel Eduard Rubin, a bullet jacket generally allows for higher muzzle velocities, and a lot more damage.
Schwingen, or Swiss wrestling, is a style of folk grappling that originates in parts of German-speaking Switzerland. It's centuries old (the photograph depicts a wrestling match illustrating a page from an early 16th-century illuminated manuscript). The sport is still played out today.
White chocolate was invented in Switzerland with the introduction in the 1930s of the Milkybar, launched by Swiss company Nestlé. The Milkybar Kid remains one of television advertising's most recognized characters.
Weight watchers and healthy eaters have Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner (1867–1939) to thank for popularizing museli. The pioneer nutritionist introduced the cereal around 1900, originally as a dietary supplement for his hospital patients.
The Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution. Though Swiss, he's interred as a national hero in the Panthéon in Paris.
The next time anyone cites Chevrolet as essential Americana, point out that it's Swiss-born Louis Chevrolet who co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company.
Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker Alberto Giacometti is justly celebrated for his extremely tall and slender figurines. In 2015, L'Homme au doigt ("Pointing Man") sold at auction for US$126 million.
One of the most influential architects of the 20th century, Le Corbusier was born in Switzerland but became a French citizen in 1930.
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is the world's longest railway and deepest traffic tunnel. It runs through the Alps in Switzerland.
See also: The most amazing tunnels in the world.
The illustrious theoretical physicist appears on this list because while German-born, Einstein moved to Switzerland in 1895 and renounced his German citizenship in 1896—a relatively moot point when you consider what the great man went on to achieve.
What have the Swiss ever done for us?
Actually, you'd be surprised by what this tiny European nation has given the world
LIFESTYLE Switzerland
Neutral Switzerland is, in fact, the origin of some of the world's most groundbreaking inventions. It's also the birthplace of gifted intellectuals, influential designers, famous celebrities, and inspirational sports personalities. Home to iconic food and drink brands and desirable luxury goods, this small landlocked European nation is famous, too, for drawing up treaties and conventions that have established standards of international law and the protection of human rights around the globe. Oh, and did anyone mention the spectacular mountain scenery?
Click through the following gallery and be surprised by what Switzerland has done for us.