Alfred Nobel (1833-1897 )

   Alfred Bernhard Nobel was born on October, 21/ 1833. He was a Swedish chemist,
engineer, aspiring author and industrialist. He also invented what was to become one of the most
destructive materials of the modern age- dynamite.

    Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, but grew up in St. Petersburg. Mr. Nobel spent
most of his life in Paris. He died in Sam Reno, Italy, at the age of 63.

    As for his skills as an aspiring author and industrialist, Alfred Nobel was inspired by the
writings of Percy Bysshe Shelley, a British poet and a French novelist by the name of Honore de
Balzac, a Russian novelist, Ivan Turgenev and a Norwegian playwright known as Henrik Ibsen.
Alfred Nobel wrote numerous amounts of plays, novels and poems himself. Just one poem,
however, was ever published.

   Along side being an aspiring author, Alfred Nobel was introduced to the basics of science
and engineering at an early age. Excelling in science, Mr. Nobel spent a year in Paris studying
chemistry and four years in the United States working under the care of John Ericsson, who
happened to be the builder of the ironclad warship, Monitor. He also worked in the laboratory of
French chemist Theophile Jules Pelouze.(looked at by some as being the inventor of guncotton)
He learned about chemistry in his father’s factory manufacturing nitroglycerine. His father,
Immanuel, manufactured powder- charged explosive mines and machinery in St. Petersburg
during the Crimean War.

   Alfred Bernhard Nobel prevailed as an intelligent human being many times. Mr. Nobel
was the owner of more than 350 patented inventions during his lifetime, including the blasting
cap, blasting gelatin ( “Nobel’s Extra Dynamite” ), and ballistite, which was one of the first
nitroglycerine smokeless powders to be used as a substitute for black gunpowder. Nobel’s
nitroglycerine was used by the Swedish State Railways and by the Central Pacific Railroad in the
United States to blast through the Sierra Nevades. However, his greatest, and most destructive,
scientific achievement was the invention of dynamite in 1866, which opened up new doors for
the mining industry. His creation, also known as “Nobel’s Safety Blasting Powder”, was five
times as powerful as gunpowder.

   For his excellence in the field of explosives, Alfred Nobel achieved lasting fame with the
“ Nobel’s Safety Blasting Powder” invention, which was patented in 1867. Mr. Nobel’s
invention was used for many things. Namely the blasting of the Alpine Tunnel on the St.
Gotthard rain line, the removal of the underwater rocks from New York’s East River, the clearing
of the Danube River at the Iron Gate and the cutting of the Corinth Canal in Greece. Believe it or
not, these were just a few things Alfred’s inventions were used for.

   Mr. Nobel’s inventions in the field of explosives and revenues from companies he had
founded generated a $ 9 million fortune. As you can clearly tell, Alfred had a very busy,
interesting, and exciting life.
 

  While Alfred Nobel seemed to be fine , on November, 25 / 1895, just three years before
his death, Mr. Nobel drew up his will establishing a series of awards and leaving most of his
estate in trust to establish prizes for the individuals whose contributions inspired the world. Mr.
Nobel states, “If only a few out of a hundred such ideas ever bear fruit, I consider I have gained a
rich result”, and because Alfred Nobel felt this way people respected him and his achievements,
which  in turn led to the making of the Nobel Foundation.

   This is a private institute which was established in 1900 based on the will of Alfred
Nobel. The foundation manages the assets made available through the will for the awarding of
the Nobel prize in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace. It represents
the Nobel institutions externally and administers informational activities and arrangements
surrounding the presentation of the Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize is the first international award
given yearly since 1901. The prize consists of a medal, a personal diploma and a prize amount,
which is any where from 115, 000 and up.

   You can clearly see, that Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a great achiever in many fields. He
was given a foundation named after his belief that there would be more achievers in the world to
come after him. He was right and there have been numerous Nobel Prizes presented throughout
the years. Through the research of Alfred Nobel, I have learned a lot about the person I could
become as long as I enjoy what I do and work hard at it, I can be whatever I want to be.
 
 

Famous Physicists. ( 2000 October 9 ). <http://www. nobel.se> 2001, January 4.

“Nitroglycerine”. Collins Gem Canadian Dictionary.

“Nobel Prize”. Collins Gem Canadian Dictionary.

“Physicists”. The World Book Encyclopedia. 1986