Alfred's Guilt And The Nobel Creation

Alfred Nobel (Sumber: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - On December 10, 1901, the Nobel Prize was awarded for the first time. The Nobel Prize this time was held in Stockholm, Sweden for those who contributed in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace.

The ceremony was held on the fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the discoverer of dynamite and other high explosives. Quoting History, Thursday, December 10, during his lifetime Alfred did not have his own family. Before he died, Alfred exchanged letters with his former secretary in Austria. Alfred Nobel later wrote a will regarding the Nobel Prize.

In his will, Nobel ordered that most of his wealth be donated in a charity, where "each year is distributed in the form of prizes to those who - during the previous year - provide the greatest benefit to mankind."

While Nobel does not give a public rationale for the creation of the prize, it is widely believed that he did so out of moral regret for the increasingly lethal use of his invention in war.

Dynamite creation

In 1875, Nobel invented the powerful dynamite, explosive gelatin, and introduced ballistite, a smokeless nitroglycerine powder in 1887. Around this time one of Nobel's brothers died in France. French newspapers printed an obituary in which they mistook him for Alfred. One headline read, "Merchant death is dead."

In the final years of his life, Nobel developed strong doubts about the impact of his discoveries on the world. After he died in San Remo, Italy, on December 10, 1896, most of his estate was used for the creation of awards to be awarded annually in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace.

Part of his will to establish the Nobel Peace Prize reads: (One award will be given) to the person who has done the most or best work for the brotherhood among the nations for the abolition or reduction of standing soldiers and for organizing and promoting a peace congress.

Not everyone is happy with Nobel's wish. Her wishes were opposed by her relatives and questioned by authorities in various countries. Five years after his death, the first Nobel Prize was awarded.

Today the Nobel Prize is considered the most prestigious award in the world in its various fields. Notable recipients of the Nobel Prize include Marie Curie, Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and Malala Yousafzai.

Several leaders and organizations have occasionally received the Nobel Peace Prize. Many researchers often share scientific appreciation for their joint findings. In 1968, the Nobel Prize in Economics was founded by the Swedish national bank, Sveriges Riksbank, and was first awarded in 1969.