Birthday of Alfred Nobel (21st October 1833)

“Merchant of Death” or scientific genius?

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer. He is perhaps most famously remembered as the inventor of dynamite. During his lifetime, Nobel held 355 different patents, dynamite being the most famous. In his last will, concerned about the legacy he would leave behind, he decided to use his enormous fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes.

Alfred Nobel studied chemistry from an early age, including at the prestigious University of Torino, and when he turned 18, he moved to the United States where he worked under the Swedish-born inventor and mechanical engineer, John Ericsson. Nobel finally returned to Sweden with his father where he devoted himself to the study of explosives, building on his peer, Ascanio Sobrero’s discovery of the volatile substance, nitroglycerin in 1847.

Nobel discovered that when nitroglycerin was incorporated in an absorbent inert substance, it became safer and much easier to handle. He patented a specific mixture of nitroglycerin and kieselghur (diatomaceous earth) in 1867, calling it ‘dynamite’ and went on to show demonstrations of his invention across the world in countries such as England. He further refined and experimented with his product, including combining it with other nitrate explosives and other powerful chemical substances. His most famous patent was for his substance Gelignite, which proved to be the most popular explosive used in mining during the forthcoming Age of Engineering; the success of which brought Nobel a huge amount of wealth but also a huge amount of infamy for having produced such a deadly substance.

Nobel’s decision to establish the Nobel Prizes is said to have been brought about by a French newspaper mistakenly publishing his obituary, in place of his brother’s – who died in 1888. In this erroneous obituary, the newspaper proclaimed “the merchant of death is dead” and proceeded to condemn him for having cast such a lethal substance onto the world, a substance that had already claimed many lives. Nobel was said to have been disappointed and upset at reading this, and as a result, was prompted to set aside the vast majority of his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes, as his way of leaving behind a better legacy.

Five prizes were established: The first three of these prizes are awarded for eminence in physical science, in chemistry and in medical science or physiology; the fourth is for literary work "in an ideal direction" and the fifth prize is to be given to the person or society that renders the greatest service to the cause of international fraternity, in the suppression or reduction of standing armies, or in the establishment or furtherance of peace congresses. Today they are seen as the pinnacle of professional achievement in their respective fields, and offer a cash prize to their recipients.

You can find details of this year’s 2010 winners on the Nobel Prize website.

For educational resources to do with explosives and their impact in future weapons technology, why not visit the eLibrary?