ALFRED BERNARD NOBEL

ALFRED BERNARD NOBEL

         

             

            Alfred Bernard Nobel is the person who earmarked the bulk of his huge estate and money for a Trust. The income from the fund as interest is to b awarded annually to the person whose work had been of the greatest benefit to mankind.

           

            Nobel was born on October 21, 1833 in Stockholm of Sweden. His early education was at home only, his father being the teacher.

                        

            Nobel worked in the laboratory of his father by him. Nobel learnt several languages – English, French, German, Russian and Swedish at the young age of 16 years only.

            Nobel became an eminent chemistry scholar. His father was an engineer.

               

            Nobel went to Paris for higher studies. He then went to America. There he studied for 4 years under John Erickson.

            He returned to St. Petersburg and started his own research work in his father’s laboratory.

            Nobel along with his father came back to Stockholm, Sweden. They opened a small factory in Holenburg to produce an explosive called Nitroglycerin. One day it exploded destroying the factory and also killing one of the young brothers of Nobel. Adding salt to the wound, Nobel’s father suffered from a paralytic stroke and became invalid.

            Noble opened a few factories again in No4way and Germany. Misfortune still chased Nobel. Again the factories were all destroyed.

            But Nobel was undaunted!

            Accidentally one day luckily for Nobel he noticed that nitroglycerine leaking from the case in which it was kept and stored In order to stop the leakage, Nobel packed the case I an absorbent called Kieselguhr. When the explosive was placed as above, there was no danger of its sudden explosion.

            He then solidified the chemical as above and called if “dynamite”.

            Now then onwards Nobel opened several factories safely. He made a good fortune by selling the dynamite for which there was unending great demand.

            In 1887, Nobel had mad a wealth of nine million dollars (U.S.)

            Alfred Bernard Noble turned a great magnanimous philanthropist and a promoter of world peace!

            O 27^th November 1895 Nobel made a will as follows:

           

            “My remaining wealth should be utilized as follows:

            My money consisting of shares and securities which are being safeguarded and created as a Trust Fund. The income got by way of interest on the Corpus Fund should be spent as prizes annually to persons who have made great service to mankind. The priz money shall be divided into 5 parts namely

           

1. to the scientist or scientists who have invented or discovered most beneficial thing to human being in physics.
2. to person/persons similarly in chemistry.
3. to person/persons in Medicine.
4. Literature (best) and
5. Effort made for International Peace.

      The authorities to decide the Prize winners shall be

1. physics  -  Sweden Academy
2. Chemistry  -Academy of Sciences
3. Medicine -  Caroline Institute in Stockholm.
4. World peace  -  Norwegian Starting
5. Literature - Academy of Stockholm.

      The Prizes shall be awarded with out discrimination based on caste or nationality.

     

      Some more branches like ‘Economics and Physiology were added later on.

      Indians who were awarded the Nobel Prize are:

1. Dr. Rabindranath  Tagore – Literature
2. Dr. C.V. Raman – Physics.
3. Hara Gobinda Khurana – Medicine.
4. Dr. Chandrasekhar a Subramanyam- Physics
5. Mother Teresa –Pease
6. Amarthya Kumar Sen – Economics
7. V.S.P. Nayeepal - Literature