Contents
Alfred Nobel
Inventing dynamite and leaving the fortune that established the Nobel Prizes.
Dynamite · Blasting gelatin
- Born
- 21 October 1833
- Birthplace
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Died
- 10 December 1896
More people
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Nobel built an international explosives business from experiments in making powerful materials more usable. His will redirected most of his fortune towards prizes for work benefiting humanity.
Early life
An engineering family
His father Immanuel was an inventor. The family moved from Stockholm to St Petersburg as his business prospects changed.
Science and languages
Private tutors developed Nobel’s interests in chemistry, literature and languages; study abroad introduced him to leading chemical research.
Career
- 1850s–1860s
Working with explosives
He investigated nitroglycerin and methods of controlling its detonation.
- 1867
Dynamite patented
An absorbent material made nitroglycerin easier to handle and transport, opening wider industrial uses.
- 1870s–1880s
An international enterprise
Factories and further inventions, including blasting gelatin and ballistite, expanded his business.
- 1895–1901
A different use for the fortune
His will specified international prizes; the first awards were made five years after his death.
Contributions
Dynamite
Nitroglycerin combined with an absorbent substance became a more manageable blasting material.
Blasting gelatin
A gelatinous explosive offered another powerful material for industrial blasting.
The prize bequest
His will specified awards in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace.
Beyond invention
A literary private life
He wrote poetry and a play, maintaining interests well beyond laboratories and factories.
A peace advocate’s influence
His correspondence with Bertha von Suttner connected him with organised peace activism; she later received the Peace Prize.
Sources & photo credit
Life and career ↗Institutional or specialist reference ↗Photo: Unknown author Unknown author. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
