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😉 Greetings, dear readers! Thank you for choosing the article “Who Invented Dynamite: The Story of a Committed Pacifist” on this site. Here you will learn about the main stages of the life of Alfred Nobel, his inventions, how the Nobel Prize appeared.
Biography of Alfred Nobel: briefly
In the fall of 1833, a future genius was born in the capital of Sweden: a chemist, engineer, inventor and philanthropist. His full name is Alfred Bernhard Nobel.
Parents
The head of a large and impoverished family was an entrepreneur and inventor – Emmanuel Nobel. Soon, due to financial problems, my father went to Finland, then to Russia. The children stayed with their mother in Stockholm. Of the seven sons, three survived: Robert, Ludwig and Alfred.
In St. Petersburg, Emmanuel proposed to Tsar Nicholas I a new design of sea mines. After successful tests, the inventor was allocated money to build a foundry for the production of weapons. In addition to mines, the plant produced heating systems for houses using hot water and machines for the manufacture of trolley wheels.
In 1842, Emmanuel’s wife and children came to her husband in St. Petersburg. A year later, a fourth son, Emil, appeared in the family. In 1853, Nobel Sr. received the Imperial Gold Medal for equipping 11 warships with steam engines for its manufacture. He also invented modern plywood!
All of Emmanuel’s sons received first-class home education. With invited teachers, they studied languages: Russian, English, French, German. Studied natural sciences and literature.
The Crimean War (1853-1856) helps the family business to flourish. Nobel Sr.’s workshops produced underwater mines for the Russian navy. After the war, orders stopped, in 1859 he left for Stockholm. But back to our hero …
A journey for knowledge
Alfred showed interest in chemistry and engineering from childhood. This was probably passed on from his father and from a distant paternal ancestor – Olof Rudbek (1630-1702), a Swedish scientist.
Alfred Nobel in his youth
Seventeen-year-old Alfred was sent by his father to Europe and the United States to continue his studies. He spends two years in Denmark, Italy, Germany, France, America.
In Paris, the young man worked in the laboratory of the famous chemist Théophile Jules Pelusa, who in 1836 discovered the composition of glycerin. In his laboratory, Ascanio Sobrero worked, who was the first to receive nitroglycerin.
Alfred returned to St. Petersburg (1852) and continued to work at his father’s enterprise. The young scientist collaborated with the chemist N.N.Zinin, who conducted experiments with nitroglycerin. Since 1862, Nobel began independently experimenting with this substance. Having left in 1863 for his native Stockholm, he continued his research.
Personal life of Alfred Nobel
His zodiac sign is Libra (born October 21). Being fairly well off, he gravitated towards a Spartan lifestyle. Alfred was often depressed. He was withdrawn, uncommunicative, preferred solitude, loved to read. Denied alcohol, smoking and gambling. Paradox! The inventor of dynamite was an ardent pacifist.
The scientist did not marry and had no children. It is known about three women who played a role in the fate of the scientist.
- First and youthful love named Alexandra, who preferred another.
- Bertha Kinski, Personal Secretary. She married another, but corresponded with Nobel for the rest of his life.
- Sophie Hess from Vienna. Their romantic relationship lasted 18 years. Little is known about this.
How the Nobel Prize came about
“A good reputation is more important than a clean shirt. The shirt can be washed, the reputation – never. ” Alfred Nobel
In 1888, Alfred Ludwig’s brother dies in France. Due to a ridiculous mistake, an obituary for the death of Alfred himself appears in the newspapers, in which the creation of dynamite is strongly condemned. The scientist was called “millionaire in blood”, “dynamite king”, “merchant in death”.
Outraged by this fact and disappointed in the hopes of leaving a good memory of himself, Nobel renounces his part of the family fortune. He writes a testament to the creation of the Nobel Prize, designed to reward scientists for excellence in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peacebuilding.
The great philanthropist Alfred Bernhard Nobel died on December 10, 1896 at his villa in San Remo (Italy). Every year (December 10), the Nobel Prize ceremony is held in Stockholm.
Alfred Nobel: inventions
During his life, Nobel patented 355 inventions. His companies were located in 20 countries, and various explosives were produced under his patents in hundreds of factories around the world.
Dynamite
Nobel discovered that nitroglycerin in an inert substance such as diatomaceous earth (diatomaceous earth) becomes safer to use. In 1867, he patented this mixture under the name dynamite.
Rattlesnake jelly
Nine years later, he combined nitroglycerin with another explosive, collodion. The result is a transparent jelly-like substance, but with a higher explosiveness than dynamite. This “rattling jelly” was patented in 9.
Ballistitis and corditis
A few years later, the chemist invented ballistite, one of the first nitroglycerin smokeless powders. It consisted of equal parts of gunpowder and nitroglycerin. This powder became the precursor to cordite.
In addition, the scientist invented an oil pipeline, developed the chemical composition of rayon and nitrocellulose, etc.
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