Mati Õun

Mati Õun (17 July 1942 – 21 December 2024) was an Estonian military historian, writer, teacher and sports figure. He published more than 80 books on maritime and military history and was a co-author of reference works including the Eesti entsüklopeedia and Mereleksikon. He was also among the founders of the Estonian Academic Military History Society and one of the pioneers of powerlifting in Estonia.

Early life and education Born in Tallinn, Õun graduated from the Tallinn Construction and Mechanics Technical School in 1961 and later completed a degree in history by correspondence at the University of Tartu in 1984.

Career and scholarship Õun served as director of the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum from 1989 to 1992. He later taught history and military history at a range of Estonian institutions, including the Estonian Institute of Humanities, the Estonian National Defence Academy, the Estonian Military Academy, Tallinn Pedagogical University, Tallinn University and the Estonian Maritime Academy. He was also a frequent public lecturer and commentator on military history in conferences, on radio and on television. A University of Oulu study on the heritage of World War II sea mines referred to him as an "Estonian Juminda scholar", reflecting his association with research on the 1941 Juminda mine battle.

According to a 2022 profile published by the City of Tallinn, Õun was active in the restoration of Estonia's defence forces and in 1988 was among the employees of the Estonian Maritime Museum who helped bring the icebreaker Suur Tõll back to Estonia.

Sport Õun began weightlifting in 1959 under the coach Jaan Toome while studying at technical school. On his 80th birthday in 2022, a bench bearing his name was unveiled in Nõmme, Tallinn.