Biography of Alfred Bernhard Nobel. Swedish chemist Nobel Alfred: biography, invention of dynamite, founder of the Nobel Prize. Nobel's main invention
Academician, experimental chemist, Ph.D., academician, founder of the Nobel Prize, which made him world famous.
Childhood years
Alfred Nobel, whose biography is of sincere interest to the modern generation, was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833. He came from peasants in the Swedish southern district of Nobelef, which became the derivative of the surname known throughout the world. In addition to him, the family had three more sons.
Father Immanuel Nobel was an entrepreneur who, having gone bankrupt, dared to try his luck in Russia. He moved in 1837 to St. Petersburg, where he opened workshops. After 5 years, when things started to improve, he moved his family to live with him.
The first experiments of a Swedish chemist
Once in Russia, 9-year-old Nobel Alfred quickly mastered the Russian language, in addition to which he was fluent in English, Italian, German and French. The boy received his education at home. In 1849, his father sent him on a trip to America and Europe, which lasted two years. Alfred visited Italy, Denmark, Germany, France, America, but the young man spent most of his time in Paris. There he took a practical course in physics and chemistry in the laboratory of the famous scientist Jules Pelouz, who studied oil and discovered nitriles.
Meanwhile, the affairs of Immanuel Nobel, a talented self-taught inventor, improved: in the Russian service he became rich and famous, especially during the Crimean War. His factory produced mines used in the defense of Kronstadt in Finland and Revel Harbor in Estonia. The merits of Nobel Sr. were rewarded with an imperial medal, which, as a rule, was not awarded to foreigners.
After the end of the war, orders stopped, the enterprise stood idle, and many workers were left out of work. This forced Immanuel Nobel to return back to Stockholm.
Alfred Nobel's first experiments
Alfred, who had close contact with the famous Nikolai Zinin, meanwhile began to study the properties of nitroglycerin in earnest. In 1863, the young man returned to Sweden, where he continued his experiments. On September 3, 1864, a terrible tragedy occurred: during experiments, several people died in the explosion of 100 kilograms of nitroglycerin, among whom was 20-year-old Emil, Alfred’s younger brother. After the incident, Alfred's father became paralyzed, and for the last 8 years he remained bedridden. During this period, Immanuel continued to work actively: he wrote 3 books, for which he himself made illustrations. In 1870, he was concerned about the use of waste from the wood industry, and Nobel Sr. came up with plywood, inventing a method of gluing using a pair of wooden plates.
Invention of dynamite
On October 14, 1864, the Swedish scientist took out a patent that allowed him to produce an explosive that contained nitroglycerin. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1867; its production subsequently brought the scientist the main wealth. The press of that time wrote that the Swedish chemist made his discovery by accident: as if a bottle of nitroglycerin had broken during transportation. The liquid spilled, soaked the soil, resulting in the formation of dynamite. Alfred Nobel did not accept the above version and insisted that he was deliberately searching for a substance that, when mixed with nitroglycerin, would reduce the explosiveness. The desired neutralizer was kieselguhr - rock, also called tripol.
A Swedish chemist set up a laboratory for the production of dynamite in the middle of a lake on a barge, far from populated areas.
Two months after the floating laboratory began operating, Aunt Alfreda introduced him to a merchant from Stockholm, Johan Wilhelm Smith, the owner of a million-dollar fortune. Nobel managed to convince Smith and several other investors to team up and form a venture industrial production nitroglycerin, which began in 1865. Realizing that a Swedish patent would not protect his rights abroad, Nobel patented his own rights to it and sold it worldwide.
Alfred Nobel's discoveries
In 1876, the world learned about the scientist’s new invention - an “explosive mixture” - a compound of nitroglycerin with collodion, which had a stronger explosiveness. The following years were rich in discoveries of the combination of nitroglycerin with other substances: ballistite - first smokeless gunpowder, then cordite.
Nobel's interests were not limited only to working with explosive substances: the scientist was interested in optics, electrochemistry, medicine, biology, designed safe steam boilers and automatic brakes, tried to make artificial rubber, studied nitrocellulose and There are about 350 patents to which Alfred Nobel claimed rights: dynamite, detonator, smokeless powder, water meter, refrigeration apparatus, barometer, combat rocket design, gas burner,
Characteristics of a scientist
Nobel Alfred was one of the most educated people of his time. The scientist read a large number of books on technology, medicine, philosophy, history, fiction, giving preference to his contemporaries: Hugo, Turgenev, Balzac and Maupassant, he even tried to write himself. The bulk of Alfred Nobel's works (novels, plays, poems) were never published. Only the play about Beatrice Cenci has survived - “Nemisis”, completed at the time of her death. This tragedy in 4 acts was met with hostility by the clergy. Therefore, the entire published edition, released in 1896, was destroyed after the death of Alfred Nobel, with the exception of three copies. The world had the opportunity to get acquainted with this wonderful work in 2005; it was played in memory of the great scientist on the Stockholm stage.
Contemporaries describe Alfred Nobel as a gloomy man who preferred the bustle and fun companies calm solitude and constant immersion in work. The scientist led healthy image life, had a negative attitude towards smoking, alcohol and gambling.
Being quite wealthy, Nobel really gravitated towards the Spartan lifestyle. Working on explosive mixtures and substances, he was an opponent of violence and murder, carrying out colossal work in the name of peace on the planet.
Inventions for peace
Initially, the explosives created by the Swedish chemist were used for peaceful purposes: for laying roads and railways, mining minerals, constructing canals and tunnels (using blasting). For military purposes, Nobel explosives began to be used only during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.
The scientist himself dreamed of inventing a substance or machine that had destructive power that made any war impossible. Nobel paid for congresses dedicated to issues of world peace, and he himself took part in them. The scientist was a member of the Paris Society of Civil Engineers, the Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of London. He had many awards, which he was very indifferent to.
Alfred Nobel: personal life
The great inventor - an attractive man - was never married and had no children. Closed, lonely, distrustful of people, he decided to find himself an assistant secretary and placed an advert in the newspaper. The 33-year-old Countess Bertha Sofia Felicita responded - an educated, well-mannered, multilingual girl who was without a dowry. She wrote to Nobel and received an answer from him; A correspondence ensued, arousing mutual sympathy on both sides. Soon there was a meeting between Albert and Bertha; The young people walked and talked a lot, and conversations with Nobel gave Bertha great pleasure.
Soon Albert left on business, and Bertha could not wait for him and returned home, where Count Arthur von Suttner was waiting for her - the sympathy and love of her life, with whom she started a family. Despite the fact that Bertha's departure was a huge blow for Alfred, their warm friendly correspondence continued until the end of Nobel's days.
Alfred Nobel and Sophie Hess
And yet there was love in the life of Alfred Nobel. At the age of 43, the scientist fell in love with 20-year-old Sophie Hess, a flower shop saleswoman, moved her from Vienna to Paris, rented an apartment next to his house and allowed her to spend as much as she wanted. Sophie was only interested in money. The beautiful and graceful “Madame Nobel” (as she called herself), unfortunately, was a lazy person without any education. She refused to study with the teachers whom Nobel hired her.
The relationship between the scientist and Sophie Hess lasted 15 years, until 1891, when Sophie gave birth to a child from a Hungarian officer. Alfred Nobel parted peacefully with his young girlfriend and even assigned her a very decent allowance. Sophie married the father of her daughter, but constantly pestered Alfred with requests for an increase in support; after his death, she began to insist on this, threatening to publish his intimate letters if he refused. The executors, who did not want their client’s name to be splashed around in newspapers, made concessions: they bought Nobel’s letters and telegrams from Sophie and increased her annuity.
From childhood, Nobel Alfred was characterized by poor health and was constantly ill; V recent years he was tormented by heart pain. Doctors prescribed nitroglycerin to the scientist - this circumstance (a kind of irony of fate) amused Alfred, who devoted his life to working with this substance. Alfred Nobel died on December 10, 1896 at his villa in San Remo from a cerebral hemorrhage. The grave of the great scientist is located in the Stockholm cemetery.
Alfred Nobel and his prize
When Nobel invented dynamite, he saw its use in helping to promote human progress, not murderous wars. But the persecution that began over such a dangerous discovery pushed Nobel to the idea that he needed to leave behind another, more significant trace. Thus, the Swedish inventor decided to establish a personal prize after his death, writing a will in 1895, according to which the bulk of his acquired fortune - 31 million crowns - goes to a specially created fund. The income from investments should be distributed each year in the form of bonuses to the people who brought the greatest benefit to humanity during the previous year. The interest is divided into 5 parts and is intended for a scientist who has made an important discovery in the field of chemistry, physics, literature, medicine and physiology, and has also made a significant contribution to maintaining peace on the planet.
Alfred Nobel's special wish was that the nationality of candidates not be taken into account.
The first Alfred Nobel Prize was awarded in 1901 to the physicist Roentgen Conrad for the discovery of the rays that bear his name. The Nobel Prizes, which are the most authoritative and honorable international awards, have had a huge impact on the development of world science and literature.
Also, Alfred Nobel, whose will amazed many scientists with its generosity, entered scientific history as the discoverer of “Nobelium,” a chemical element named in his honor. The Stockholm Institute of Physics and Technology and Dnepropetrovsk University are named after the outstanding scientist.
Alfred Nobel is known as the founder of the Nobel Prize. But few people know what Nobel invented and why the prize named after him is considered such a prestigious and important award in the scientific world.
Nobel's main invention
Alfred Nobel was a chemist. He was born in 1833 in Stockholm. His father was involved in the development of military equipment. At that time, this was a fairly popular business, and the Nobel family was wealthy. However, even cooperation with the Russian army during the Crimean War (1853) did not save the family business from bankruptcy.
Then Alfred devoted himself to the study of explosives. Nobel found that nitroglycerin, when mixed with substances that can absorb it, is more convenient and safe. This convenience allowed the use of a fire cord and a detonator. Nobel called his invention dynamite and patented it in 1867. Continuing his experiments with nitroglycerin, Nobel also invented other explosive mixtures: ballistite and cordite (a mixture with gunpowder).
Peaceful purposes
However, explosives are not the only inventions of the Swedish chemist. In total, the scientist owns 355 patents for such things as devices for measuring atmospheric pressure and the pressure of liquids and gases, a water meter, a barometer, a refrigeration apparatus, and a gas burner. In addition, Nobel developed a model of a bicycle with rubber tires and improved steam boilers.
Nobel wanted his main invention - dynamite - to be used only for peaceful purposes, for example, in mining. The scientist bequeathed his fortune to the prize, which is annually awarded to scientists who have made discoveries in the natural sciences, as well as to those who have devoted themselves to the struggle for peace.
An unusual monument was erected on Petrogradskaya Square in St. Petersburg. It is a bronze tree of a bizarre shape, the roots of which go into granite. Sits in the branches big bird. On the edge of the pedestal there is the inscription Alfred Nobel. The biography of this person is filled with a variety of events. Let's look at some of them.
Memorable place
The embankment on the Vyborg side is directly related to the life and work of Alfred Nobel. Here, until 1999, there was a world-famous machine-building plant. It was founded in 1862 by Ludwig Nobel. Alfred - a great scientist - is his younger brother. The family stayed in Russia for quite a long time. The father, together with his sons, was engaged in the industrial production of engines, components for mechanisms and machines. They also worked in the oil sector. They established the extraction, processing and transportation of raw materials. The family took an active part in equipping the Russian fleet and army with shells, mines, and bombs. Meanwhile, the Nobels were involved not only in commerce. They also devoted a lot of money and effort to charitable causes. They established various scholarships, financed research, and maintained medical, cultural and educational institutions.
Family
The future great scientist spent his childhood in Stockholm. His father was Emmanuel Nobel. By 1842, Alfred was one of 4 children who survived when they arrived in Russia. The need to move was due to the plight of the family. My father was very talented. He understood construction, architecture and many other areas. He tried his best to provide for his family. The latest attempt was the opening of an enterprise for the production of elastic fabrics. However, things didn’t work out, so the family moved first to Finland, which was part of Russia at that time, and then to St. Petersburg. I actually grew up here Alfred Nobel. Nationality did not prevent him from subsequently achieving outstanding success.
Stay in Russia
At that time the Empire was on the rise. The era of formation and development of industry began in Russia. The family settled into the new place quite quickly. My father began producing lathes and equipment for them. In addition, he was engaged in the production of metal casings for mines invented by him. The family settled in a large house. Teachers were hired for the children. All of Emmanuel's sons were hardworking and talented people. From an early age he showed a love for work and Alfred Nobel. Interesting facts about his early years can be found in various sources. In one of them, for example, it is indicated that the future scientist was fluent in several languages. Among them were Russian, English, German and French. At the age of 17, Alfred headed to the USA, Germany and France. For three years he continued his education.
Alfred Nobel: biography of a scientist
After three years of study abroad, he returned to Russia and got a job at his father’s company, which produced ammunition for the Crimean campaign. At the end of the war in 1856, the manufactory required urgent reorganization. This was done by brothers Robert and Ludwig. The parents and their younger children returned to Sweden. A new era for the family began in Stockholm. The parents settled on an estate in the suburbs of Stockholm. An experimental laboratory was created here. The elder Nobel conducted his experiments with detonation there. Alfred soon joined his father in research. Black powder was used as the only explosive at that time. At the same time, the properties of nitroglycerin have already been described. It was first synthesized in 1847 by the Italian chemist Ascaño Sobrero. However, it was impossible to use nitroglycerin as intended. The danger lay in the rapid transition of the substance into an explosive gas from any state.
First achievements
The bulk of the experiments were carried out by Emmanuel Nobel. Alfred first looked for sponsors. In 1861 the philanthropist was found. He gave the researchers 100 thousand francs. It is worth saying, however, that Alfred was not particularly interested in working with explosive compounds. But at the same time, he could not refuse his father’s help. After 2 years, Alfred Bernhard Nobel created the first device that makes it possible to safely work with nitroglycerin. The substance was placed in a separate, sealed container. The detonator was placed in the next compartment - the capsule, which was later cast from metal. The created device almost completely eliminated the possibility of a spontaneous explosion. With its subsequent improvement, black powder began to be replaced with mercury. During one of the experiments, an explosion occurred, which killed 8 people, including Alfred's younger brother, Emil. The father took the death of his son very hard. Some time later, there was a stroke that confined him to bed for almost 7 years. Emmanuel Nobel was never able to get back on his feet and died in 1872 at the age of 71.
Love of books
Alfred Nobel was noted for his love of reading. In his library he included not only scientific works of various authors, but also classical works. Nobel was very fond of French and Russian writers. Among them were Hugo, Balzac, Maupassant. Nobel read Turgenev's novels in both Russian and French. It is worth saying that he was not only a chemist, but also a philosopher. Nobel had a doctorate.
Writing
Alfred Nobel also showed interest in him. Dynamite, a substance he patented, was not the goal of all his activities. In general, we can say that commerce was a means of subsistence, and not a favorite pastime. It is quite possible that he would have become a writer. Unfortunately, only one of his works has survived - a play in verse about Beatrice of Chechnya ("Nemesis").
Work after father's death
All, what Alfred Nobel invented, brought him a lot of income. At the same time, he himself exercised control over technological processes, selected personnel for the enterprise, corresponded with partners. Nobel showed exceptional responsibility. He oversaw the accounting transactions advertising campaigns, sales of products, participated in negotiations with suppliers. Alfred Nobel's inventions used in a variety of industrial sectors. At the same time, the scientist saw great prospects in the use of explosive compounds for peaceful purposes. Thus, Nobel's dynamite was used in the mountainous region of Sera Nevada to lay railroad tracks.
First foreign enterprise
It was founded in 1865. The main office was in Hamburg. It is worth saying that working with explosive compounds is never without accidents. The new enterprise was no exception. Nobel was forced to constantly address security issues. His greatest desire was to create explosives that would be used exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Trip to America
Nobel went to the USA in 186. Here he wanted to found a new enterprise. However, the business world did not really please the entrepreneur. He was of the opinion that local businessmen were too keen on getting money. Because of this, the pleasure of communicating with them was lost. The actions taken by American businessmen dimmed the joy of cooperation and constantly reminded them of their true goals.
Successful experiment
In 1867, safe explosives were finally created. Nobel patented dynamite. It was a powder containing nitroglycerin and a chemically inert substance. The latter was the mineral kieselguhr. These are the fossilized remains of a diatom (sea plant). Dynamite was poured into drilled holes and exploded using a cord connected to a detonator. This allowed a person to be at a safe distance from the epicenter. Nobel's invention is still used in various fields today.
Ballistitis
He became the next discovery. After dynamite, explosive jelly was created. It was a mixture of gunpowder and nitroglycerin. Subsequently, Nobel created ballistite - a smokeless explosive. A few years later it was improved by Ael and Dewar. They created cordite based on ballistite. The scientists patented their invention as a novelty. However, this was incorrect, since its basis was ballistite. Nobel tried to challenge the patent in court, but the English government opposed it, and the scientist lost. It is worth saying that he often had to enter into such conflicts.
Public views
Nobel opposed granting voting rights to women. He expressed great doubts about the wisdom and effectiveness of the democratic model. At the same time, Nobel was against despotism. The workers of his enterprises were socially protected many times better than the staff of other owners. Nobel believed that a well-educated, well-fed and healthy person with high moral principles would bring much more benefit to the cause than a grossly exploited mass of illiterate people. He spent a lot of money on creating conditions for normal work. He paid special attention to security measures. Contemporaries called him a socialist. Although he didn’t consider himself that way.
Good of society
Nobel believed that all his inventions should be used for peaceful purposes. In the second half of the 19th century, the steam engine was created. Its appearance gave a huge impetus to the development of the economy. As a result, they began to build everywhere railways, make tunnels. All of these works used Nobel's dynamite. The explosive was used to clear canals and deepen the bottom of reservoirs when laying shipping routes. If we talk about the military sphere, Nobel believed that if both sides had the same weapons, then there would be no clash.
Error in obituary
At the beginning of his career as an industrial magnate, Nobel did not plan to bequeath his capital to charitable causes. However, his views changed in his declining years. Ludwig died in 1888. The newspapers mistakenly reported Alfred's death. At the same time, he was called a merchant of death, a man who made his fortune from blood. These messages greatly shocked Nobel's mother. She fell ill and died a year later. Of course, Alfred himself also could not remain indifferent to the articles. He moved to Italy. There Nobel settled in San Remo, in a secluded villa. On it he equipped a laboratory and conducted experiments on the synthesis of artificial silk and rubber.
Last will
During his years in San Remo, the scientist and entrepreneur began to think about how to manage his fortune. By that time, a reliable enterprise management system was in place, and profit distribution was controlled. Overseeing all this himself is considered the key achievement of this man. In his last will, he indicated that most of his fortune should go to rewards great scientists and people whose activities are aimed at strengthening peace. 31 million Swedish marks - the amount allocated for this Alfred Nobel. Nobel Prize was established in the fields of chemistry, physics, medicine/physiology. A reward was also given to the person who created an outstanding literary work. A fifth should be given to someone who has made a significant contribution to the abolition of slavery, the unity of peoples, the promotion of peace and the reduction of the number of armies. Alfred Nobel's will contained his special wish. He pointed out that the reward should be given to a person regardless of his nationality. That is, the main criterion should be achievement, and not belonging to any country.
Women
Of course, the personality of this man aroused great interest among his contemporaries. And if everyone knew about his entrepreneurial and scientific activities, the intimate side was carefully hidden from outsiders. It is not even possible to establish from existing sources whether Alfred Nobel was married. This man's personal life, however, took place. His first love was Anna Desri. She was the daughter of a pharmacist. There is evidence that Nobel even wanted to get married. There are two versions explaining the reasons that the marriage did not take place. According to one of them, Anna fell ill and died. According to another, she started an affair with a certain Lemarge, a mathematician. According to rumors, this is precisely the reason for the absence of achievements in this discipline in the premium set. Another woman for whom the scientist had tender feelings was Sarah Bernhardt. Nobel saw her at a performance and fell in love. Another woman who captivated Nobel was Sophie Hess. She was only 20. She worked in a flower shop. This novel might not have been known if Hess had not made a claim to the inheritance after Nobel’s death. According to sources, she was in his custody for 19 years. Hess introduced herself to her neighbors as Madame Nobel. However, the relationship was not officially registered. In 1876, Nobel met Bertha Kinski. They could well have gotten engaged, but for unknown reasons this did not happen. It is known that it was Bertha who inspired Nobel to establish the prize. It is worth saying that they supported good relationship until the very last day of his life. Bertha Kinski was among the first people to receive the Peace Prize. She actively participated in the cause of preserving humanity from the beginning of the Third World War.
Everyone knows that the most prestigious award a scientist can receive for his work is the Nobel Prize.
Every year in Sweden, the Nobel Committee reviews applications from the most outstanding scientists of our time and decides who this year deserves a prize in various fields of science. The fund from which the prizes are paid was created by Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. This scientist received huge sums of money for his developments, and bequeathed almost all of his earnings to the foundation named after him. But what did Alfred Nobel invent that formed the basis for the Nobel Prizes?
Talented self-taught
Paradoxically, Alfred Nobel, the author of more than 350 inventions, had no education at all except at home. However, this was not uncommon in those days when the content of school education depended entirely on the owners educational institution. Alfred's father, Emmanuel Nobel, was a wealthy and very educated man, a successful architect and mechanic.
Since 1842, the Nobel family moved from Stockholm to St. Petersburg, where Emmanuel developed for the Russian army military equipment and even opened several factories where it was produced. However, over time, things did not go so well, the factories went bankrupt, and the family returned to Sweden.
Invention of dynamite
Since 1859, Alfred Nobel became interested in the technology of making explosives. At that time, the most powerful of them was nitroglycerin, but its use was extremely dangerous: the substance exploded at the slightest shock or impact. After many experiments, Nobel invented an explosive composition called dynamite - a mixture of nitroglycerin with an inert substance that reduced the danger of its use.
Dynamite very quickly became in demand in mining, for large-scale excavation work and in a number of other industries. Its production brought significant wealth to the Nobel family.
Other Nobel inventions
During his long and fruitful life, Alfred Nobel became the owner of 355 patents for inventions, and not all of them related to explosives. The most famous of his works were:
- a series of ten detonator caps, one of which is used in explosives to this day under the name “detonator No. 8”;
- “explosive jelly” - a gelatinous mixture of nitroglycerin with collodion, superior to dynamite in explosive power, which today is known as an intermediate raw material for the manufacture of safer explosives; 
- ballistite is a smokeless powder based on nitroglycerin and nitrocellulose, used today in mortar and gun shells, as well as propellant;
— an oil pipeline as a way to transport crude oil from the field to processing, which reduces the cost of oil production by 7 times;
— improved gas burner for lighting and heating;
- new design of water meter and;
— refrigeration unit for domestic and industrial use;
— a new, cheaper and safer method for producing sulfuric acid;
- a bicycle with rubber tires;
- improved steam boiler.
The inventions of Nobel and his brothers brought considerable income to the family, making the Nobels very wealthy people. But their fortunes were honestly earned by their own intelligence, talent and enterprise.
Alfred Nobel's charity
Thanks to his inventions, Nobel became the owner of several successful businesses. They not only produced technical products that were advanced at the time, but also maintained an order that was very different for the better from the usual factory environment. Nobel created comfortable living conditions for his workers - he built houses and free hospitals for them, schools for their children, and introduced free transportation for workers to and from the factory.
Despite the fact that many of his inventions had a military purpose, Nobel was a staunch pacifist, so he spared no expense in promoting the peaceful coexistence of states. He donated a lot of money for holding international peace congresses and conferences in defense of peace.
At the end of his life, Nobel drew up his famous will, according to which the bulk of his fortune after the death of the inventor went to the foundation that was later named after him. The capital left by Nobel was invested in securities, the income from which for more than a hundred years has been annually distributed among those who, in the general opinion, have brought the greatest benefit to humanity:
— in physics;
— in chemistry;
- in medicine or physiology;
- in literature;
- in promoting peace and oppression, uniting the peoples of the planet. 
A prerequisite for awarding the prize is the exclusively peaceful nature of the discovery or development. The Nobel Prizes are the most honorable award for scientists around the world, a sign of their highest achievements in the scientific field.
Alfred Bernhard Nobel (Swedish: Alfred Bernhard Nobel). Born October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, Swedish-Norwegian Union - died December 10, 1896 in San Remo, Kingdom of Italy. Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor of dynamite. He bequeathed his enormous fortune to the establishment of prizes awarded for the most important achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and for contributions to the strengthening of peace. The synthesized chemical element Nobelium is named in his honor. The Nobel Institute of Physics and Chemistry in Stockholm and the University in Dnepropetrovsk are named in honor of Nobel.
Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833 to Emmanuel (Immanuel) (1801-1872) and Andrietta Nobel. He was the third son, in total there were eight children in the family, but besides Alfred, only Robert, Ludwig and Emil survived.
In the early autumn of 1842, Nobel's family moved to St. Petersburg, where Emmanuel began work on developing torpedoes.
In 1849, after seven years of the Nobel family’s stay in St. Petersburg, the father, on the recommendation of the Russian chemist Nikolai Nikolaevich Zinin, sent his son to study in Europe and America. in spring next year Sixteen-year-old Alfred Nobel left St. Petersburg. He visited Denmark, Germany, Italy, France and then America. The trip abroad took about two years.
Returning to Russia, Nobel began managing the affairs of family factories that carried out military orders for the Russian army. The Crimean War that began in 1853 contributed to the further prosperity of Nobel's company.
In 1859, the second son of Emmanuel Nobel, Ludwig Emmanuel Nobel (1831-1888), began to do this. Alfred, forced to return to Sweden with his father after the failure of the family business, devoted himself to the study of explosives, especially safe production and the use of nitroglycerin, discovered in 1846 by Ascanio Sobrero.
In 1868, Nobel received a patent for dynamite - a mixture of nitroglycerin with substances capable of absorbing it. Touting his discovery, he gave public demonstrations of the new explosive and gave lectures on how it worked. As a result, more and more people began to show interest in Nobel's invention.
Several explosions occurred at the plant owned by the Nobel family, one of which in 1864 killed Nobel’s younger brother Emil and several other workers. From the production of dynamite and other explosives and from the development of the oil fields of Baku (the Branobel Partnership), in which he and his brothers Ludwig and Robert played a significant role, Alfred Nobel accumulated a significant fortune.
Alfred Nobel's activity as a playwright is one of the little-known facts of his biography. His only play, Nemesis, a 4-act prose tragedy about Beatrice Cenci, was written while he was dying. The entire edition, published in Paris in 1896, except for three copies, was destroyed immediately after his death, since the play was considered scandalous and blasphemous by the church. The first surviving edition (bilingual, in Swedish and Esperanto) was published in Sweden in 2003, and in 2005 the play premiered in Stockholm on the day of the scientist’s death.
Discovery of dynamite
In 1888, by mistake of reporters, a newspaper published a message about Nobel's death. This had a serious impact on Alfred. When they began to write about him as “a millionaire on blood”, “a merchant of explosive death”, “a dynamite king”, he decided to do so so as not to remain in the memory of mankind as a “villain on a global scale”.
In 1889 he attended the World Peace Congress.
On December 10, 1896, Alfred Nobel died at his villa in San Remo, Italy, of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 63 years old. He was buried in the Norra begravningsplatsen cemetery in Stockholm.
In 1970, the International Astronomical Union named a crater on the far side of the Moon named after Alfred Nobel.
On October 21, 1991, at the initiative of the Swedish Nobel Foundation, with funds from the International Foundation for the History of Science, a bronze monument to Alfred Nobel was opened on Petrogradskaya Embankment near the Nakhimov School.
The asteroid (6032) Nobel, discovered by astronomer Lyudmila Karachkina at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory on August 4, 1983, is named in honor of A. Nobel.
Nobel's inventions:
Dynamite. Nobel discovered that nitroglycerin in an inert substance such as diatomaceous earth (diatomaceous earth) became safer and more convenient to use, and he patented this mixture in 1867 under the name dynamite.
Rattlesnake jelly. Nobel combined nitroglycerin with another explosive, collodion, to create a clear, jelly-like substance that was more explosive than dynamite. Explosive jelly, as it was called, was patented in 1876. This was followed by experiments in making similar combinations with potassium nitrate, wood pulp, etc.
Ballistite and cordite. A few years later, Nobel invented ballistite, one of the first nitroglycerin smokeless powders, consisting in one of the latest versions of equal parts of gunpowder and nitroglycerin. This powder would become a precursor to cordite, and Nobel's claim that his patent also included cordite would be the subject of bitter legal battles between him and the British government in 1894 and 1895.
Cordite also consists of nitroglycerin and gunpowder, and the researchers wanted to use the most nitrated variety of gunpowder, insoluble in mixtures of ether and alcohol, while Nobel proposed the use of less nitrated forms, soluble in these mixtures.
The question was complicated by the fact that in practice it is almost impossible to prepare one of the forms in its pure form, without the admixture of the second. Ultimately, the court ruled against Nobel.
Throughout his life, Nobel professed pacifist ideas. Like some other inventors (in particular, the creator of the first machine gun, Richard Gatling), he believed that if opponents had a weapon with which they could instantly destroy each other, then they would understand that they would gain nothing from the war and end the conflict.
Nobel Prize:
In 1888, reporters from a French newspaper mistakenly published a report on the death of Alfred Nobel (newspapers confused the inventor with his older brother Ludwig, who died in St. Petersburg.). He was called a “millionaire on blood”, “merchant of death”, “dynamite king”. This made a strong impression on the businessman; he did not want to remain in the memory of mankind as a “villain on a global scale.”
On November 27, 1895, at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris, Nobel signed his will, according to which most of his fortune - about 31 million Swedish marks - was to be used to establish prizes for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and for activities to strengthen peace. The will read: “I, the undersigned, Alfred Bernhard Nobel, having considered and decided, hereby declare my will regarding the property acquired by me... My executors must transfer the capital into securities, creating a fund, the interest from which will be given in the form of a bonus to those who, during the previous brought the greatest benefit to humanity.
The indicated percentages should be divided into five equal parts, which are intended: the first part to the one who made the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics, the second - in the field of chemistry, the third - in the field of physiology or medicine, the fourth - to the one who created the most significant literary work reflecting human ideals, the fifth - to those who will make a significant contribution to the unity of peoples, the abolition of slavery, the reduction of the size of existing armies and the promotion of a peace agreement.
...My special wish is that the awarding of prizes should not be influenced by the nationality of the candidate, so that the most deserving ones will receive the prize, regardless of whether they are Scandinavian or not.".
Since 1969, on the initiative of the Swedish Bank, prizes in memory of A. Nobel in economics have also been awarded, unofficially called the “Nobel Prizes in Economics.”