Nobel

Alfred Nobel was born in 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden to Immanual Nobel and Andriette Ahlsell. He was one of eight children, however, only three of these children survived to reach adulthood. Alfred and his brothers did not attend school as other children did, but were home schooled by the best professors, who were by the way, at a university level. Their education focused on the humanities and natural sciences. It is not surprising then, that Alfred Nobel had the accomplishments that he did.

Alfred Nobel began his experiments with nitroglycerine in 1860, and in 1863 obtained his first patent on blasting oil to be used as an industrial explosive. It was at this time that he also developed and patented a blasting cap (igniter) to trigger the explosion of nitroglycerine. In 1864, Nobel's brother was killed in his Stockholm plant while preparing nitroglycerine, and in 1866 Nobel tries to make it safer to handle. In 1866, Nobel also found that nitroglycerine could be turned into a dough and kneaded and calls it dynamite.

At 40 years old, Alfred Nobel is a very wealthy man, but despite his wealth, it is said, that he was a very lonely man who had very few love interests. At this time in his life, Nobel moved to Paris. In 1887 he obtained a patent for blasting powder and after a conflict with the French government left Paris in 1891.

Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament in 1895. It was four pages of which less than one referred to the donation which was to be the start of the Nobel Prize and has linked his name to the supreme accomplishments in the modern world of science, literature, and the causes for peace. Alfred Nobel died in his home in Italy on December 10, 1896.