Alfred Nobel

Who is Alfred Nobel?

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor and businessman born in Stockholm. He is best known for inventing dynamite in 1867, a stable and controllable explosive that transformed construction, mining and engineering worldwide. Over his lifetime he registered hundreds of patents and built an international industrial empire of factories and laboratories producing explosives and related chemicals. Despite his commercial success, Nobel was troubled by the destructive potential of his inventions. In his final will, signed in 1895, he directed that the bulk of his considerable fortune be used to establish annual prizes recognising outstanding contributions to humanity in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and the promotion of peace. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, five years after his death, and they remain among the most prestigious honours in the world.

Sources: Alfred Nobel, Last Will and Testament (1895) · The Nobel Foundation, official biography of Alfred Nobel