Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) was a successful inventor, chemist and arms manufacturer who had over 350 patents to his name for his inventions.
But he is best known as the inventor of dynamite and the creator of the Nobel Prize.
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Alfred Nobel and the coin commemorating the Nobel Prize |
It is interesting how the prize came about. Had it not been for the death of his brother, his benevolence might have taken a different direction.
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| Short Bio Alfred Nobel |
While his brother's accomplishments would have made for a very short death notice, when Alfred read the obit that was supposed to be extolling his own virtues, he was very disappointed.
Indeed, if he didn't have more accomplishments, then he was not going to be remembered well at all.
Any obituary that opens with "The merchant of death is dead" doesn't bode well especially if it happens to be your own obituary. "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday."
That is when he decided that when his time came, the obituary for Alfred Nobel was going to look better in print.
All his life, Alfred Nobel literally threw himself into his work. Having never married or had children, it wasn't because he never tried. His brothers had families of their own, and they made no secret that they expected large bequeaths upon his death.
However, they were in for a surprise.
Alfred also had three love interests, which are documented by love letters which were sealed until 1955, at which time they were released but they were heavily redacted to reveal only biographical information. His last love relationship ended in 1894, two years before his death.
While Nobel was well known for his inventions, his obituary would not have looked very good if he had died before 1891 because that is when he was accused of high treason against the country of France for selling explosives to Italy.
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| Quote by Alfred Nobel |
At age 57, Nobel moved from Paris and Italy . Five years later, he died of a stroke at age 63. His brothers and other family members had no idea that most of his vast wealth was put in trust, with them receiving mere tokens compared to the great bequeaths that they expected.
They soon learned that Alfred Nobel didn't believe in bequeathing money to relatives just because they were related.
He believed that inherited money should provide children with a good education and the basics of life, and not create lazy adults. He also believed that anyone who accumulated great wealth in their lifetime should give it back to society in some way to benefit others.
And that's how the Nobel Prize came about.
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| Alfred Nobel quote |
You can continue reading about Alfred Nobel and his inventions here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel
Love letters
https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/.premium-alfred-nobel-s-letters-reveal-his-anti-semitic-chauvinistic-side-1.6271819
Nobel's inventions
https://www.famousscientists.org/alfred-nobel/
A biography
http://www.rsc.org/diversity/175-faces/all-faces/alfred-nobel-0/
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