Famous scientists and inventors

NOBEL Alfred Bernhard (1833-96), Swedish chemist and inventor was born in Stockholm. After receiving an education in Saint Petersburg, Russia; France and the U.S., he returned to St. Petersburg where he worked in his father's company, developing mines, torpedoes, and other explosives during the Crimean War 1853-56. After the war his father went bankrupt, and in 1859 the family returned to Sweden. He invented dynamite in 1867 and a smokeless gunpowder in 1887. He built a network of factories to manufacture dynamite, and corporations I to produce and market his explosives. Nobel registered over 350 patents, many unrelated to explosives (e.g., artificial silk and leather).Both his worldwide interests in explosives and his large holdings in the Baku oil fields of Russia brought him an immense fortune.Though he was essentially a pacifist and hoped that the destructive power of his inventions would help bring an end to wars, he was labeled "a merchant of death" for inventing an explosive used in war. Perhaps to counter this label, he left most of his immense fortune, which was from worldwide explosives and oil interests, to establish the Nobel Prizes, which would become the most highly regarded of all inter­national awards. Nobel Prizes are awards granted annually to persons or institutions for outstanding contributions during the previous year in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, interna­tional peace, and economics. In addition to a cash award, each Nobel Prize winner also receives a gold medal and a diploma bearing the winner's name and field of achievement. The judges often divide the prize for achievement in a particular field among two or three people. Dividing the prize among more than three people is not allowed. If more than three people are judged to be deserving of the prize, it is awarded jointly. The fund is controlled by the board of directors of the Nobel Foundation, which serves for two-year periods and consists of six members: five elected by the trustees of the awarding bodies mentioned in the will, and the sixth appointed by the Swedish government. The six members are either Swedish or Norwegian citizens.