Alfred Nobel was born in 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden to a family of engineers. His family was descended from Olof Rudbeck, the best-known technical genius of Sweden's 17th century era as a great power in northern Europe. At age 9, he moved with his family to Russia where he and his brothers were given first class education in the humanities and natural sciences by private teachers.
Nobel invented dynamite in 1866 and later built up companies and laboratories in more than 20 countries all over the world. A holder of more than 350 patents, he also wrote poetry and drama and even seriously considered becoming a writer.
The idea of giving away his fortune was no passing fancy for Nobel. Efforts to promote peace were close to his heart and he derived intellectual pleasure from literature, while science built the foundation for his own activities as a technological researcher and inventor.
On November 27, 1895, Nobel signed his final will and testament at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris. He died of a heart attack in his home in San Remo, Italy on December 10, 1896.
Alftred Nobel's Life & Work:
Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) was born in Sweden, grew up in Russia, and studied chemistry and technology in France and the United States. He invented dynamite in 1866 and built up companies and laboratories in more than 20 countries all over the world.
Alfred Nobel's House in Paris:
Forty years old and already a rich man, Nobel bought an elegant mansion - an "hôtel particulier" - at Avenue Malakoff, a fashionable quarter near the Arc de Triomphe and Bois-de-Boulogne.
Excerpt from the Will of Alfred Nobel:
The fountainhead of the Nobel Prize is a one page document, written by the testator without legal aid.
War and Peace in the Thinking of Alfred Nobel:
Was Alfred Nobel's view on the effects of weapons to deter war a comfortable way of defending his own activity?
San Remo – The Final Years:
In 1887, Nobel was forced to move out of France and settle down in San Remo, Italy where he spent the remaining years of his life until his death on December 10, 1896.
Aphorisms:
"Contentment is the only real wealth."
Nobel invented dynamite in 1866 and later built up companies and laboratories in more than 20 countries all over the world. A holder of more than 350 patents, he also wrote poetry and drama and even seriously considered becoming a writer.
The idea of giving away his fortune was no passing fancy for Nobel. Efforts to promote peace were close to his heart and he derived intellectual pleasure from literature, while science built the foundation for his own activities as a technological researcher and inventor.
On November 27, 1895, Nobel signed his final will and testament at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris. He died of a heart attack in his home in San Remo, Italy on December 10, 1896.
Alftred Nobel's Life & Work:
Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) was born in Sweden, grew up in Russia, and studied chemistry and technology in France and the United States. He invented dynamite in 1866 and built up companies and laboratories in more than 20 countries all over the world.
Alfred Nobel's House in Paris:
Forty years old and already a rich man, Nobel bought an elegant mansion - an "hôtel particulier" - at Avenue Malakoff, a fashionable quarter near the Arc de Triomphe and Bois-de-Boulogne.
Excerpt from the Will of Alfred Nobel:
The fountainhead of the Nobel Prize is a one page document, written by the testator without legal aid.
War and Peace in the Thinking of Alfred Nobel:
Was Alfred Nobel's view on the effects of weapons to deter war a comfortable way of defending his own activity?
San Remo – The Final Years:
In 1887, Nobel was forced to move out of France and settle down in San Remo, Italy where he spent the remaining years of his life until his death on December 10, 1896.
Aphorisms:
"Contentment is the only real wealth."
Vinterviken
It all began in Vinterviken (Winter Bay), just outside Stockholm. Alfred Nobel's first company Nitroglycerine Aktiebolaget, had its explosives plant on this isolated inlet of Lake Mälaren.
It all began in Vinterviken (Winter Bay), just outside Stockholm. Alfred Nobel's first company Nitroglycerine Aktiebolaget, had its explosives plant on this isolated inlet of Lake Mälaren.
Krümmel
Nobel established his first overseas company in Krümmel, Germany where he also discovered kieselguhr, a form of hardened algae as fine as powder, that turned liquid nitroglycerine into a safer explosive.
Nobel established his first overseas company in Krümmel, Germany where he also discovered kieselguhr, a form of hardened algae as fine as powder, that turned liquid nitroglycerine into a safer explosive.
Nobel in Scotland
Alfred Nobel turned his sights to Scotland when Great Britain proved to be a difficult place to establish an explosives factory due to its restrictive laws and bureaucratic pitfalls in the 1800s.
Alfred Nobel turned his sights to Scotland when Great Britain proved to be a difficult place to establish an explosives factory due to its restrictive laws and bureaucratic pitfalls in the 1800s.
Sevran
The idea of transforming highly sensitive explosives into new and less hazardous forms of gunpowder, contributed to Nobel's decision to buy the property in Sevran.
The idea of transforming highly sensitive explosives into new and less hazardous forms of gunpowder, contributed to Nobel's decision to buy the property in Sevran.
The major part of Alfred Nobel's private library was moved by stages from Paris to San Remo and, by way of different locations in Stockholm, to the present Nobel Museum at Björkborn Manor, near Karlskoga, Sweden.
Classified lists:
Classified lists:
- Humanities
- Sciences
- Miscellaneous
- All books in alphabetical orderLaureatesBelow is a list of books, chronicling the life and times of Alfred Nobel, his family, the Nobel Prizes and related literature. This initial selection includes only English (original and translations) versions, except for the biography of Alfred Nobel by S. Strandh in Swedish.Alfred Nobel, A Biography - by K. Fant
Arcade Publishing, New York, 1993
The author makes extensive use of Nobel's letters and writings, in presenting a portrait of Alfred Nobel in all his aspects - industrialist, pacifist, arms manufacturer and poet.
Alfred Nobel - by T. Frängsmyr
Published by the Swedish Institute, 1996
Translation by Judith Black
Presents the life of Alfred Nobel, not only tracing his scientific and entrepreneurial achievements from the earliest days, but also focusing on the private individual behind them.
Nobel. The Man and His Prizes
by Schück, H. et al.
Edited by the Nobel Foundation
Publishers: Solhmans Förlag, Stockholm, 1950
University of Oklahoma Press, 1951
Third revised, updated and enlarged edition published by American Elsevier Company, Inc., New York, N.Y. 1972
First published in 1950 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Nobel Foundation. Contains a summary of Alfred Nobel's life and work; an account of the establishment of the Nobel Foundation; and surveys of outstanding achievements in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace.
The third revised edition brings the history of the awards up to 1970. It contains a sketch of Alfred Nobel's life, an account of the initial difficulties and later development of the Nobel Foundation, and an extensively revised description of seventy years' progress in the five Prize categories, viewing in historical perspective the work of the Nobel Laureates.
Alfred Nobel
Mannen, Verket, Samtiden
by Sigvard Strandh
Publisher: Natur och Kultur, 1983
The author expounds on how Alfred Nobel built up his industrial empire as well as his enormous wealth, and views his inventions in the light of industrial, historical and political perspectives. The book is peopled which strong personalities - from Alfred Nobel's brothers to his co-workers, competitors, friends and relatives.
The Russian Rockefellers
The Saga of the Nobel Family and the Russian Oil Industry
by R. W. Tolf
Publisher: Hoover Institution Press, Stanford CA, 1976
Contains the first fully documented history of the Nobel family and the first comprehensive survey of the oil industry in pre-Bolshevik Russia.
The Nobel Century
An Illustrated History of the Prizes from 1901 to the Present
Introduction by A. Briggs; preface by Stig Ramel
Publisher: Chapmans Publishers Ltd., London, 1991
The Beginnings of the Nobel Institution:
The Science Prizes 1901-1915
by E. Crawford
Publishers: Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris; and
Cambridge University Press, 1984
The Nobel Population 1901-1937
A Census of the Nominators and Nominees for the Prizes in Physics and Chemistry
Edited by E. Crawford, J.L. Heilbron, R. Ullrich
Publishers: Office for History of Science and Technology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, and Office for History of Science,
The Nobel Peace Prize and the Laureates
An Illustrated Biographical History 1901-1987
by I. Abrams
Publisher: G.K. Hall & Co., Boston, MA, 1988
Details the evolution of the Nobel Peace Prize and delves into the role and mechanics of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and profiles each of the eighty-seven laureates during the period 1901-1987. Also provides insightful evaluation of the Nobel Committee's decision over time. Includes surveys, tables and both general and specific bibliographies.
The Centennial Exhibition of the Nobel PrizeIndividual creativity will be discussed under a number of general themes, e.g. "Serendipity", "Metaphors", and "Iconoclasts". The discussions will focus on important milieus of the 20th century that have produced many Nobel Laureates.
Title of the Centennial Exhibition: "Cultures of Creativity: The Centennial Exhibition of the Nobel Prize"
Plans to build a permanent Nobel Museum in Stockholm have been discussed since the beginning of this century. In 1994 the Nobel Foundation approached the Swedish Government about the potential for the establishment of a Nobel Museum in Stockholm devoted to science and culture. A government commissioned report recommends building at Tegelbacken near the Stockholm Central Station. The Nobel Foundation favours another location at Blasieholmen behind the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Oslo
The exhibition "Cultures of Creativity: The Centennial Exhibition of the Nobel Prize" will be on display at Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo from the first of August 2001 until the end of that year.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Government are discussing the possibility of a Nobel Peace Prize Museum in Oslo. A number of buildings have been considered.
Other Nobel Related Museums and Exhibitions
Björkborn
A Museum was instituted in 1982 at Björkborn Manor, Karlskoga where Alfred Nobel owned a manor and an industry during the final years of his life.
The Big Idea, Ardeer, Glasgow
The Big Idea is a major permanent exhibition and tourist attraction, celebrating one thousand years of inventions and discoveries and one hundred years of Nobel Prizes.1901
H. Dunant (Switzerland) F. Passy (France) 1902 E. Ducommun (Switzerland) A. Gobat (Switzerland) 1903 Sir W. R. Cremer (United Kingdom) 1904 Institute of International Law, Geneva 1905 Bertha v. Suttner (Austria) 1906 Th. Roosevelt (USA) 1907 E. T. Moneta (Italy) L. Renault (France) 1908 K. P. Arnoldson (Sweden) F. Bajer (Denmark) 1909 A.M.E. Beernaert (Belgium) Baron P. H. B. d'Estournelles de Constant (France) 1910 International Bureau of Peace, Bern 1911 T. M. C. Asser (Netherlands) A. H. Fried (Austria) 1912 E. Root (USA) 1913 H. La Fontaine (Belgium) 1917 International Committee of the Red Cross 1919 W. Wilson (USA) 1920 L. Bourgeois (France) 1921 K. H. Branting (Sweden) Chr. L. Lange (Norway) 1922 F. Nansen (Norway) 1925 Sir A. Chamberlain (United Kingdom) Ch. G. Dawes (USA) 1926 A. Briand (France) G. Stresemann (Germany) 1927 F. Buisson (France) L. Quidde (Germany) 1929 F. B. Kellog (USA) 1930 N. Söderblom (Sweden) 1931 Jane Addams (USA) N.M. Butler (USA) 1933 Sir N. Angell (United Kingdom) 1934 A. Henderson (United Kingdom) 1935 C. v. Ossietzky (Germany) 1936 C. de Saavedra Lamas (Argentina) 1937 Lord Cecil of Chelwood (United Kingdom) 1938 International Nansen Office for Refugees, Geneva 1944 International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva 1945 C. Hull (USA) 1946 Emily G. Balch (USA) J. R. Mott (USA) 1947 The Society of Friends (Quakers) 1949 Lord J. Boyd Orr (United Kingdom) 1950 R. J. Bunche (USA) 1951 L. Jouhaux (France) 1952 A. Schweitzer (France) 1953 G. C. Marshall (USA) 1954 Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva 1957 L. B. Pearson (Canada) 1958 D. G. Pire (Belgium) 1959 Ph. J. Noel-Baker (United Kingdom) 1960 A. J. Luthuli (South Africa) 1961 D. Hammarskjöld (Sweden) 1962 L. C. Pauling (USA, 1901-02-28 - 1994-08-19) 1963 International Red Cross and International League of Red Cross Societies 1964 M. L. King (USA) 1965 International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) 1968 R. Cassin (France) 1969 I. L. O. (International Labour Organization) 1970 N. E. Borlaug (USA) 1971 Willy Brandt (Germany, 1913-12-18 - 1992-10-08) 1973 H. Kissinger (USA) Le Duc Tho (North Vietnam) 1974 S. MacBride (Ireland) E. Sato (Japan) 1975 A. Sakharov (Soviet Union) 1976 B. Williams, M. Corrigan (both Northern Ireland) 1977 Amnesty International 1978 M. Begin (Israel) A. as Sadat (Egypt) 1979 Mother Teresa (India) 1980 P. Esquivel (Argentina). 1981 Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva 1982 A. Myrdal (Sweden) A. Garcia Robles (Mexico) 1983 Lech Walesa (Poland) 1984 Desmond M. Tutu (South Africa) 1985 International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) 1986 Elie Wiesel (USA) 1987 O. Arias Sanchez (Costa Rica) 1988 UN Peacekeeping Forces 1989 Dalai Lama (Tibet) 1990 Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union) 1991 Aung San Sun Kyi (Burma) 1992 Rigoberta Menchú (Guatemala, *1959) 1993 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (South Africa, *1918-07-18) Frederik Willem de Klerk (South Africa, *1936-03-18) 1994 Yasir Arafat (Palestine, *1929-08-27) Shimon Peres (Israel, *1923-08-15) Itzhak Rabin (Israel, 1922-03-01 - 1995-11-04 assassinated) 1995 Joseph Rotblat (United Kingdom, *1908) Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs for their efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics and in the longer run to eliminate such arms 1996 Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo (bishop of East Timor) José Ramos-Horta for their work towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor 1997 International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and Jody Williams (USA) 1998 John Hume David Trimble for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland 1999 Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) in recognition of the organization's pioneering humanitarian work on several continents 2000 Kim Dae Jung (South Korea, *1925) for his work for democracy and human rights in South Korea and in East Asia in general, and for peace and reconciliation with North Korea in particular.
The Nobel Peace Prize 1901-2000
by Geir Lundestad
Read about the history of the Nobel Peace Prize during its first 100 years.
Heroines of Peace, The Nine Nobel Women
by Irwin Abrams
The Peace Prize was awarded to only nine women between the years 1901 to 1996.Reflections on the Nobel Peace Prize
by Geir Lundestad
Why does the world take interest in what the Norwegian Nobel Committee decides on who has done the most for peace?The International Campaign to Ban Landmines – A Model for Disarmament Initiatives?
by Jody Williams
The Mine Ban Treaty is a result of the dynamism of a grassroots movement.Mahatma Gandhi, The Missing Laureate
by Øyvind Tønnesson
The strongest symbol of non-violence in the 20th century never got the Peace Prize despite several nominations.From Peace Negotiations to Human Rights
by Francis Sejersted
The Nobel Peace Prize has succeeded in creating clear symbols which appeal to our best instincts.The Green Revolution Revisited and the Road Ahead
by Norman Borlaug
1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug maintains that the battle to feed the poor is far from won.Fridtjof Nansen: Scientist and Humanitarian
by Asle Sveen
Over 400,000 prisoners-of-war were exchanged after World War I, mainly through the efforts of the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen.Science and Humanity in the Twenty-First Century
by Sir Joseph Rotblat
Advances in science have unfortunately, led to the development of weapons capable of annihilating the human race.Controversies and Criticism
by Øyvind Tønnesson
The Peace Prize awards in many instances, have increased public focus on international or national conflicts.1. Each year the respective committees send individual invitations to thousands of scientists, members of academies and university professors in numerous countries, asking them to nominate candidates for the Nobel Prizes for the coming year. Those who are competent to submit nominations are chosen in such a way that as many countries and universities as possible will be represented.
2. These prize nominations must reach the respective Nobel Committees of the Prize Awarding Institutions before February 1 of the year for which the nomination is being made.
3. The nominations received by each committee are then evaluated with the help of specially appointed experts. When the committees have made their selection among the nominated candidates and have presented their recommendations to the Prize Awarding Institutions, a vote is taken for the final choice of Laureates.
4. The choice of the year's Laureates is announced immediately after the vote in October each year.
5. The prizes are awarded at the Prize Award Ceremony at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 10 (the Anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death). The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded on the same day at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway.
The procedure to nominate candidates for the Nobel Prizes varies somewhat among the Prize Awarding Institutions.
Excerpts from the Special Regulations on the awarding of Nobel Prizes:
Peace
(The Norwegian Nobel Committee)
Invitations to nominate are sent to:
1. Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the advisers appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute;
2. Members of the national assemblies and governments of the different states and members of the Interparliamentary Union;
3. Members of the International Court of Justice at the Hague and the International Court of Arbitration at the Hague;
4. Members of the Commission of the Permanent International Peace Bureau;
5.Members and associate members of the Institut de Droit International;
6. University professors of political sciences and jurisprudence, history and philosophy;
7. Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.The Norwegian Nobel Committee
by Øyvind Tønnesson
How do five individuals from a small country make decisions over the Peace Prize on the basis of some universal interpretation of peace?
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