Alfred Nobel

Alfred Bernhard Nobel was born on 21 October 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden, the third son of Immanuel Nobel and Andriette Ahlsell. His father, an engineer and inventor, struggled financially but later found success in Russia, moving the family to Saint Petersburg in 1842.¹ Alfred was educated by private tutors and showed early aptitude in chemistry and languages, becoming fluent in Swedish, Russian, French, English, and German. He studied chemistry in Paris under Théophile-Jules Pelouze, where he first encountered nitroglycerin, a highly unstable explosive discovered by Ascanio Sobrero.²

Nobel's key breakthrough came in 1866–1867 when he discovered that mixing nitroglycerin with diatomaceous earth (kieselguhr) produced a stable, manageable explosive he named 'dynamite'. He patented it in 1867.³ This invention revolutionized construction and mining, enabling projects like the St. Gotthard Tunnel and the Panama Canal. He later developed blasting gelatin (1875) and ballistite (1887), a smokeless propellant. By the 1880s, he operated factories in over 20 countries, becoming one of the wealthiest men in Europe.⁴

In his last will, signed in 1895, Nobel designated the bulk of his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes, to be awarded annually for outstanding contributions in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. The first prizes were awarded in 1901. The will was contested by relatives, but after legal battles, the Nobel Foundation was established to administer the awards. The peace prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, while the others are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden.

Beyond his public persona, Nobel had a literary side: he wrote poetry and a novel, Nemesis, a tragedy in prose, which was published posthumously but suppressed by his family as scandalous. He also employed the first female chemist at his laboratory, Laura de Noves, though she died shortly after joining. Nobel's pacifist leanings are evidenced by his correspondence with Bertha von Suttner, a peace activist who influenced his decision to establish the peace prize.⁵ He also invented a 'silent' cannon and experimented with synthetic rubber and artificial silk.

Nobel's legacy is complex: he was dubbed the 'merchant of death' by a French newspaper that mistakenly published his obituary while he was alive, prompting him to reconsider his legacy. His invention of dynamite was used in warfare, but he hoped it would deter war by making it too destructive. The Nobel Prizes remain his enduring legacy, but some critics note that the peace prize has been awarded to controversial figures, and the science prizes have been criticized for excluding certain fields like mathematics.

Dynamite

An explosive made of nitroglycerin absorbed in an inert material, invented by Alfred Nobel in 1867.

Nitroglycerin

A highly volatile liquid explosive first synthesized by Ascanio Sobrero in 1847.

Blasting gelatin

A more powerful and stable explosive invented by Nobel in 1875, made by dissolving nitrocellulose in nitroglycerin.

Ballistite

A smokeless propellant patented by Nobel in 1887, used in artillery and firearms.

Nobel Foundation

The institution established in 1900 to manage the Nobel Prize funds and administer the awards.