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Alfred Bernhard Nobel (21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist,
engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist. He held 355 different patents,
dynamite being the most famous. The synthetic element nobelium was named after him.
He owned Bofors, which he redirected from its previous role as primarily an iron and
steel producer to a major manufacturer of cannon and other armaments. Having read a
premature obituary which condemned him for profiting from the sales of arms, he
bequeathed his fortune to institute the Nobel Prize. His name also survives in
companies such as Dynamit Nobel and AkzoNobel, which are descendants of mergers with
companies that Nobel established.
Inventions
Portrait of Nobel by Gösta Florman (1831–1900)
Nobel found that when nitroglycerin was incorporated in an absorbent inert substance
like kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth) it became safer and more convenient to handle,
and this mixture he patented in 1867 as "dynamite". Nobel demonstrated his explosive
for the first time that year, at a quarry in Redhill, Surrey, England. In order to
help reestablish his name and improve the image of his business from the earlier
controversies associated with the dangerous explosives, Nobel had also considered
naming the highly powerful substance "Nobel's Safety Powder", but settled with
Dynamite instead, referring to the Greek word for "power" (δύναμις).
Nobel later combined nitroglycerin with various nitrocellulose compounds, similar to
collodion, but settled on a more efficient recipe combining another nitrate
explosive, and obtained a transparent, jelly-like substance, which was a more
powerful explosive than dynamite. Gelignite, or blasting gelatine, as it was named,
was patented in 1876; and was followed by a host of similar combinations, modified by
the addition of potassium nitrate and various other substances. Gelignite was more
stable, transportable and conveniently formed to fit into bored holes, like those
used in drilling and mining, than the previously used compounds. It was adopted as
the standard technology for mining in the "Age of Engineering", bringing Nobel a
great amount of financial success, though at a significant cost to his health. An
offshoot of this research resulted in Nobel's invention of ballistite, the precursor
of many modern smokeless powder explosives and still used as a rocket propellant.
Nobel Prize
Death
Nobel was accused of high treason against France for selling Ballistite to Italy, so
he moved from Paris to Sanremo, Italy in 1891. On 10 December 1896, he suffered a
stroke and died. He had left most of his wealth in trust, unbeknown to his family, in
order to fund the Nobel Prize awards. He is buried in Norra begravningsplatsen in
Stockholm.
Personal life
Nobel was Lutheran and regularly attended the Church of Sweden Abroad during his
Paris years, led by pastor Nathan Söderblom who received the Nobel Peace Prize in
1930. He became an agnostic in youth and was an atheist later in life, though still
donated generously to the Church.
Nobel travelled for much of his business life, maintaining companies in Europe and
America while keeping a home in Paris from 1873 to 1891. He remained a solitary
character, given to periods of depression. He remained unmarried, although his
biographers note that he had at least three loves, the first in Russia with a girl
named Alexandra who rejected his proposal. In 1876, Austro-Bohemian Countess Bertha
Kinsky became his secretary, but she left him after a brief stay to marry her
previous lover Baron Arthur Gundaccar von Suttner. Her contact with Nobel was brief,
yet she corresponded with him until his death in 1896, and it is believed that she
was a major influence in his decision to include a peace prize in his will. She was
awarded the 1905 Nobel Peace prize "for her sincere peace activities". Nobel's
longest-lasting relationship was with Sofija Hess from Celje whom he met in 1876. The
liaison lasted for 18 years.
Nobel gained proficiency in Swedish, French, Russian, English, German, and Italian.
He also developed sufficient literary skill to write poetry in English. His Nemesis
is a prose tragedy in four acts about Beatrice Cenci. It was printed while he was
dying, but the entire stock was destroyed immediately after his death except for
three copies, being regarded as scandalous and blasphemous. It was published in
Sweden in 2003 and has been translated into Slovenian and French.
Monuments
The Monument to Alfred Nobel in Saint Petersburg is located along the Bolshaya Nevka
River on Petrogradskaya Embankment. It was dedicated in 1991 to mark the 90th
anniversary of the first Nobel Prize presentation. Diplomat Thomas Bertelman and
Professor Arkady Melua initiators of creation of the monument (1989). Professor A.
Melua has provided funds for the establishment of the monument (J.S.Co.
"Humanistica", 1990–1991). The abstract metal sculpture was designed by local artists
Sergey Alipov and Pavel Shevchenko, and appears to be an explosion or branches of a
tree. Petrogradskaya Embankment is the street where the Nobel's family lived until
1859.
Criticism
Criticism of Nobel focuses on his leading role in weapons manufacturing and sales,
and some question his motives in creating his prizes, suggesting they are intended to
improve his reputation.