The famous Nobel Prize, undoubtedly, is the most prestigious award in the world. It is annually appropriated to people for cultural, academic and scientific achievements. Among its recipients are such celebrities as Wilhelm X-raygen - the inventor of X-rays, the President of Israel Shimon Peres, the Russian scientist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, the theoretical physicist Albert Einstein ...
Accident
It is known that Nobel Prize was instituted by Alfred Nobel, but few know the history that preceded it . Alfred Nobel was born in 1833 in Stockholm, in the family of an engineer. His father, Emanuel Nobel, specialized in the construction of tunnels and bridges. When Alfred grew older, he began working with his brothers in the family business of his father. In order to build roads in the highlands, in those days used explosive devices, such as nitroglycerin and gunpowder. But the problem was that nitroglycerin was extremely dangerous to transport to remote places, since it is very sensitive even to small fluctuations. So, in 1864, when workers were loading nitroglycerin at their father's factory, an explosion took place, which took the lives of six people, including Alfred's brother, Emil Nobel.
New invention
After the accident, young Alfred began to think about how to make an explosive device safer, more powerful, but easily transportable. Having some knowledge in the field of chemistry, he began to experiment. Until one day, nitroglycerin accidentally spilled diatomaceous sediment on the sedimentary rock. As a result, the expected mixture was obtained, which was easy to transport. In addition, the strength of the explosion, it was not inferior to nitroglycerin. Over time, using an additional few other substances, Alfred Nobel patented an explosive device, which he initially called: Nobel's safe powder. And after a while, Alfred decided to give his invention the Greek name Dynamite, which means power. This substance instantly became popular, as it could easily be used for various purposes. Nobel actively advertised his discovery. He conducted public demonstrations of a new explosive, and also gave lectures on how it works.
Terrible weapons
In a short time, the invention of dynamite brought Alfred fame and big money. At first, dynamite was used for industrial purposes to undermine mines, build roads and demolish old buildings. But later, seeing its strength and potential, dynamite became actively used for military purposes. Despite the fact that Alfred professed pacifist ideas, the temptation of big money led to the fact that he opened more than ninety factories and factories for the manufacture of dynamite and other types of explosive weapons. Bad glory In 1888, during the treatment in Cannes, Alfred's elder brother Ludwig Nobel died. Then, by mistake of the reporters, one of the French newspapers published an obituary for Alfred Nobel instead of an obituary for Ludwig. The title read: "The trader is dead!" And in the article the author severely criticized Alfred for his invention of dynamite and for the many deaths that followed. The author was indignant that Alfred Nobel was fabulously wealthy on the fact that he invented the way how to destroy the maximum number of people in the shortest possible time. The inventor was called a "millionaire on the blood", "death merchant" and "dynamite king". The reading greatly shocked Alfred Nobel. He was so upset that he decided after his death to leave a very different glory about himself! Alfred sincerely wanted to be remembered, not as an inventor of a powerful weapon, but as a man who invested his life in achieving peace on earth!
The testament of good
November 27, 1895 in the Swedish-Norwegian club of Paris, Alfred signed a will, according to which about 31 million Swedish marks (today - about $ 472 million) - 94% of his fortune - were to go on to establish prizes for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, as well as for activities to strengthen peace.The will read: "I, the undersigned, Alfred Bernhard Nobel, having considered and decided, hereby declare my will on the property acquired by me ... Capital my executors must transfer to securities by creating a fund, the interest from which will be given in the form of an award to those who during the previous year brought the greatest benefit to mankind. These 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 part in the field of chemistry, the third in the field of physiology or medicine, the fourth - to the creator of the most significant literary work reflecting human ideals, the fifth - to those who make a significant contribution to the rallying of peoples, the destruction of slavery, the reduction in the number of existing armies and the promotion of a peaceful arrangement. ... My special desire is that the nationality of the candidate should not influence the award of prizes, so that the most worthy winners will receive the prize, regardless of whether they are Scandinavians or not. "* This is how the most prestigious award in the world appeared - the Nobel Prize. Today, the annual winners of the Nobel Prize are awarded a gold medal with the image of Alfred Nobel and a cash prize that is equivalent to 1.4 million dollars!
The Thrust of the Spirit
They say that before the Nobel Prize was approved, despite its millions of dollars, Alfred suffered from depression. He was never married, he had no close friends. His only friend was the clergyman of the Protestant church in Paris, Nathan Soderblom. According to the stories of knowledgeable people, it was he who played a big role in the fact that Alfred was re-qualified from the armorer to the philanthropist. Listening to the sermon of Soderblom, as well as regularly visiting the church and doing charity, Alfred improved his emotional state.
Afterword
Many people do not have 472 million dollars to establish something like the Nobel Prize, but disinterestedly doing good to others, they leave an indelible mark. John Maxwell once said: "There are two most important days in a person's life - the first, this is when he was born, and the second, when he learned why."