Alfred Nobel

By Tyler Karnes and Marvin Jones

1. Alfred Bernhard Nobel was born October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden.

2. Born to Immanuel Nobel and Andriette Nobel also had two brothers, Ludwig and
Robert. Father worked as a construction worker but the construction business went
bankrupt so they moved to St. Petersburg Russia

3. In St. Petersburg there was a factory set up for making mines out of gun powder
for the Crimean War. Back in Sweden nitro-glycerin killed his brother convincing
Alfred to develop a safer alternative.

4. Alfred then discovered by mixing nitro-glycerin with Silica, the end product could
be molded into cylinder shapes that weren’t greatly affected by temperature or
pressure calling this product Dynamite. Dynamite was 5 times more powerful than
ordinary gunpowder. It became popular in the world of mining and construction.

5. In Alfred’s later years, he drew up a will and stated that he wishes the majority
of his nine million dollar fortune be used to fund awards in five different fields of
study, Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Physiology and Medicine, Peace.

6. This award was known as the Nobel Prize. He stated that the awards be given to
‘those who have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind’. The first Nobel Prize
was first handed out five years after his death in 1901.