His Brother's Obituary

Alfred Nobel was a very successful chemist, inventor, and engineer who mixed substances together in a way that had never been mixed together before, and as a result discovered dynamite. This explosive became so popular that within 10 years Nobel had dynamite factories in 20 countries and he became one of the wealthiest men in the world. The irony is that he regarded himself as a pacifist even though thousands were killed with his dynamite and the canons and armaments he manufactured.

In the late 1880’s his brother died and one of the French newspapers mistakenly put Alfred’s name in the obituary column. A French writer referred to him as the ‘Merchant of Death’ for the thousands who had been killed as a result of his inventions. When Alfred read his own obituary, he was shocked to find how he was going to be remembered when he actually did die. In a single moment, his entire past and future crossed his mind and he knew he had to make big and sweeping changes. In the coming years he created the Nobel Prizes.

The first prizes were awarded in 1901 to five people in the world who made the greatest discoveries in physics, medicine, chemistry, literature, and efforts resulting in creating a more humane and peaceful world. His legacy is the creation of the Nobel Prizes and they continue to be given out over 100 years later.  They are regarded as the most prestigious awards in the world. In 1968 a sixth Nobel Prize was added called the Economic Science Award.

Alfred Nobel was looking for his brother’s name in the obituary section of the newspaper and instead found his. Transfixed by what he read and saddened by what his life had become, he knew he needed to take action. The amazing thing about this story is that there were many choices he could have made as a result of the paper’s error. He could have become furious with what was said about him and never change. He could have ignored the article entirely. He could have gone into a deep depression and become paralyzed over the horrendous past he had created. But, he decided to change people’s perceptions of him and how they would remember the Nobel name. He could not change what he had done in his past, but he could change his future.

One hundred and fifty years ago, people all over the world associated the name Alfred Nobel with explosives and the horrors of war. Beginning in 1901 his name became synonymous with the Nobel Prizes.