Alfred Bernhard Nobel Biography
 |
Alfred
B. Nobel
|
Alfred
Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist cum engineer cum industrialist. He
invented dynamite (an easy-to-handle explosive which replaced earlier
explosives like nitroglycerine). He was born on October 21, 1833 in
Stockholm, Sweden. His father Immanuel Nobel was also a famous scientist.
Alfred remained bachelor throughout his life.
Nobel
acquired immense fame for his invention of dynamite. However he is best
remembered for the Nobel Prizes.
Alfred’s
invention of dynamite was a matter of chance. One day he was preparing
in his laboratory some nitroglycerine (a highly powerful explosive)
which could explode at the slightest jerk. Suddenly a small portion of this
fluid fell out of the flask into a box of fine earth powder below. He observed
that the fluid did not explode. It turned into a paste-like form on getting
soaked into the fine powder. Nobel picked up a little of this paste and
carefully shaped it into a tiny ball. He then took this tiny ball out of his
laboratory. When he set it off, it made a powerful explosion. This new form of nitroglycerine
is called ‘dynamite’.
This
new invention was vigorously exploited and a worldwide industry was
established. In 1875 came gelginite, a mixture of nitrocellulose
and nitroglycerine; and in 1887 ballistite. Ballistite is similar
to gelignite.
Nobel
lived in Hamburg from 1865 to 1873. Then he moved to Paris and lived there
until 1891. Italian military adoption of ballistic made him unpopular and he
moved to San Remo, Italy. He died there on December 10, 1896.
He
was a pacifist and hoped that the destructive powers of his inventions would
help bring an end to wars. He had an abiding interest in literature. In his
youth he had written several English poems.
 |
| Alfred B. Nobel |
Alfred
Nobel’s new invention-the dynamite found many uses all over the world.
Thus he amassed (accumulated) a fortune from the royalty income. In 1890, he
wrote his will whereby, he bequeathed (left by will) 9,000,000 US dollars, the
interest earned on which was to be distributed yearly among those who had most
benefitted mankind the preceding year in different spheres like science,
literature and work for peace.
Nobel
established a trust. The trust promoted the cause of peace and literature and
research in various fields of science. The trust gives international awards
known as ‘Nobel Prizes’ for outstanding work done in the areas of peace,
literature, physics, chemistry and physiology and medicine.
 |
| Alfred B. Nobel |
The
first Nobel Prizes were given in 1901. In 1969, the Sixth Nobel Prize,
known as the ‘Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science’ was
instituted. The values of each of the six prizes is about 1,00,000 US dollars. Nobel
Prize is considered today as the most highly regarded international award.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
Post a Comment