5 Estonians Who Changed the World

Estonia is a country of magical green forests and the amazing Baltic Sea. Here you will find landscapes worthy of the most talented landscape painters and get impressions that will stay with you for a lifetime. However, Estonia's greatest treasure is its citizens - talented people who are able to create, invent and inspire others around the world. 

Today we will tell you about Estonians who have changed the world for the better:

Eno Raud 

Photo: Eno Raud, Source: https://ellsa.ee

Eno Raud is a well-known children's writer who was born in Tartu, Estonia, to the family of the famous Estonian poet Mart Raud. The boy has been fond of literature since childhood - in the 30s, he was published in the children's magazine Laste R under the pseudonym Eno Sammalhabe. It is noteworthy that Sammalhabe means "moss beard" in Estonian. After graduating from the University of Tartu with a degree in Estonian, Raud worked as an editor and wrote his own works. At first, he became famous for his series of fairy tales about Sipsike, a funny and friendly doll. However, the writer's real worldwide success came after the publication of the Naxitrali series of fairy tale stories about the adventures of three fairy-tale men: Mufti, Half-Shoe and Mossybeard. The stories told about the importance of ecology and human responsibility towards nature in an easy and engaging way. 

Kerli Koits

Photo: Kerli, Source: https://estonianworld.com

Kerli Koits, also known as Kerli, is considered the most famous singer in Estonia. Her musical career began in the early 2000s, when she became a member of various music projects in Estonia. Her breakthrough came in 2008, when her single "Walking on Air" gained wide recognition and became a hit in different countries.Kerli's musical style can be described as a synthesis of different genres such as pop, electro, dance music and gothic rock. She has a powerful vocal and a unique performance style, which makes her work go beyond the standard musical templates. Kerli performs extensively both in her home country and abroad. She has released several studio albums and many singles that have gained popularity among music lovers. Some of her well-known songs include "Tea Party", "Army of Love", "Feral Hearts" and "Diamond Hard".

Carmen Kass 

Photo: Carmen Kass, Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

Carmen Kass is an Estonian top model. At the age of 14, the young Kass was noticed by a model scout from Milan and soon the girl moved to Italy. Carmen Kass quickly shone on the world catwalks, collaborating with such famous brands as Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Gucci, Versace. Cass has appeared on the covers of Vogue, Elle, Madame Figaro. In 2000, Vogue magazine awarded her the title of Model of the Year. The Estonian model was Michael Kors' "muse", representing the brand for about 10 years. And for the last 17 years, Kass has been contracted to represent Narciso Rodriguez For Her perfume. The top model is considered one of the iconic representatives of the so-called "heroin chic" generation, which was a popular trend in the 90s of the last century. 

Arvo Pärt 

Photo: Arvo Pärt, Source: https://www.britannica.com/

Arvo Pärt is a contemporary Estonian composer. In 1979, he was forced to emigrate from the Soviet Union. Arriving in Vienna, Pärt signed an agreement with Universal Edition, and then, thanks to a DAAD scholarship, he found himself in Berlin, where he lived and wrote music. Pärt is the creator of a unique compositional technique called "tintinnabuli" (from the Latin word "tintinnabulum", meaning bells). Among his most popular works are Für Alina, Tabula Rasa and Spiegel im Spiegel, which are included in the repertoires of orchestras around the world. In 2015, Bachtrack, a classical music database, awarded Pärt the title of "the most performed living composer in the world". The asteroid 4087 Pärt was also named in his honour. 

Kelly Sildar 

Photo: Kelly Sildar, Source: https://olympics.com/e

Kelly Sildaru is a world-renowned freestyle skier from Estonia. In 2016, at the age of 13, she won a gold medal in the slopestyle competition at the prestigious X Games. In 2019, Kelly won her first gold medal at the World Freestyle Skiing Championships. A year later, she won another gold medal in slopestyle at the Lausanne Winter Youth Games and two more gold medals at the Winter World Extreme Games in superpipe and slopestyle.