FIRST NOBEL PRIZES:

December 10, 1901

The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of
physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. The ceremony came on the
fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite
and other high explosives. In his will, Nobel directed that the bulk of his vast
fortune be placed in a fund in which the interest would be "annually distributed
in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have
conferred the greatest benefit on mankind." Although Nobel offered no public
reason for his creation of the prizes, it is widely believed that he did so out
of moral regret over the increasingly lethal uses of his inventions in
war.Alfred Bernhard Nobel was born in Stockholm in 1833, and four years later
his family moved to Russia. His father ran a successful St. Petersburg factory
that built explosive mines and other military equipment. Educated in Russia,
Paris, and the United States, Alfred Nobel proved a brilliant chemist. When his
father's business faltered after the end of the Crimean War, Nobel returned to
Sweden and set up a laboratory to experiment with explosives. In 1863, he
invented a way to control the detonation of nitroglycerin, a highly volatile
liquid that had been recently discovered but was previously regarded as too
dangerous for use. Two years later, Nobel invented the blasting cap, an improved
detonator that inaugurated the modern use of high explosives. Previously, the
most dependable explosive was black powder, a form of gunpowder.Nitroglycerin
remained dangerous, however, and in 1864 Nobel's nitroglycerin factory blew up,
killing his younger brother and several other people. Searching for a safer
explosive, Nobel discovered in 1867 that the combination of nitroglycerin and a
porous substance called kieselguhr produced a highly explosive mixture that was
much safer to handle and use. Nobel christened his invention "dynamite," for the
Greek word dynamis, meaning "power." Securing patents on dynamite, Nobel
acquired a fortune as humanity put his invention to use in construction and
warfare.In 1875, Nobel created a more powerful form of dynamite, blasting
gelatin, and in 1887 introduced ballistite, a smokeless nitroglycerin powder.
Around that time, one of Nobel's brothers died in France, and French newspapers
printed obituaries in which they mistook him for Alfred. One headline read, "The
merchant of death is dead." Alfred Nobel in fact had pacifist tendencies and in
his later years apparently developed strong misgivings about the impact of his
inventions on the world. After he died in San Remo, Italy, on December 10, 1896,
the majority of his estate went toward the creation of prizes to be given
annually in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.
The portion of his will establishing the Nobel Peace Prize read, "[one award
shall be given] to the person who has done the most or best work for fraternity
among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the
holding and promotion of peace congresses." Exactly five years after his death,
the first Nobel awards were presented.Today, the Nobel Prizes are regarded as
the most prestigious awards in the world in their various fields. Notable
winners have included Marie Curie, Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, George
Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Martin Luther King, Jr., the
Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Nelson Mandela. Multiple leaders and
organizations sometimes receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and multiple researchers
often share the scientific awards for their joint discoveries. In 1968, a Nobel
Memorial Prize in Economic Science was established by the Swedish national bank,
Sveriges Riksbank, and first awarded in 1969.The Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences decides the prizes in physics, chemistry, and economic science; the
Swedish Royal Caroline Medico-Surgical Institute determines the physiology or
medicine award; the Swedish Academy chooses literature; and a committee elected
by the Norwegian parliament awards the peace prize. The Nobel Prizes are still
presented annually on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death. In 2000,
each Nobel Prize carried a cash prize of $940,000 and recipients also received a
gold medal, as is the tradition.