An unusual monument was erected on Petrogradskaya Square in St. Petersburg. It is a bronze tree of a bizarre shape, the roots of which go into granite. A large bird sits in the branches. On the edge of the pedestal there is the inscription Alfred Nobel. The biography of this person is filled with a variety of events. Let's look at some of them.

Memorable place

The embankment on the Vyborg side is directly related to the life and work of Alfred Nobel. Until 1999, a world-famous engineering plant was located here. It was founded in 1862 by Ludwig Nobel. Alfred - a great scientist - is his younger brother. The family stayed in Russia for quite a long time. The father, together with his sons, was engaged in the industrial production of engines, components for mechanisms and machines. They also worked in the oil sector. They established the extraction, processing and transportation of raw materials. The family took an active part in equipping the Russian fleet and army with shells, mines, and bombs. Meanwhile, the Nobels were involved not only in commerce. They also devoted a lot of money and effort to charitable causes. They established various scholarships, financed research, and maintained medical, cultural and educational institutions.

Family

The future great scientist spent his childhood in Stockholm. His father was Emmanuel Nobel. By 1842, Alfred was one of 4 children who survived when they arrived in Russia. The need to move was due to the plight of the family. My father was very talented. He understood construction, architecture and many other areas. He tried his best to provide for his family. The latest attempt was the opening of an enterprise for the production of elastic fabrics. However, things did not work out, so the family moved first to Finland, which was part of Russia at that time, and then to St. Petersburg. I actually grew up here Alfred Nobel. Nationality did not prevent him from subsequently achieving outstanding success.

Stay in Russia

At that time the Empire was on the rise. The era of formation and development of industry began in Russia. The family got used to the new place quite quickly. My father began producing lathes and equipment for them. In addition, he was engaged in the production of metal casings for mines invented by him. The family settled in a large house. Teachers were hired for the children. All of Emmanuel's sons were hardworking and talented people. From an early age he showed a love for work and Alfred Nobel. Interesting Facts about his early years can be found in various sources. In one of them, for example, it is indicated that the future scientist was fluent in several languages. Among them were Russian, English, German and French. At the age of 17, Alfred headed to the USA, Germany and France. For three years he continued his education.

Alfred Nobel: biography of a scientist

After three years of study abroad, he returned to Russia and got a job at his father’s company, which produced ammunition for the Crimean campaign. At the end of the war in 1856, the manufactory required urgent reorganization. This was done by brothers Robert and Ludwig. The parents and their younger children returned to Sweden. A new era for the family began in Stockholm. The parents settled on an estate in the suburbs of Stockholm. An experimental laboratory was created here. The elder Nobel conducted his experiments with detonation there. Alfred soon joined his father in research. Black powder was used as the only explosive at that time. At the same time, the properties of nitroglycerin have already been described. It was first synthesized in 1847 by the Italian chemist Ascaño Sobrero. However, it was impossible to use nitroglycerin as intended. The danger lay in the rapid transition of the substance into an explosive gas from any state.

First achievements

The bulk of the experiments were carried out by Emmanuel Nobel. Alfred first looked for sponsors. In 1861 the philanthropist was found. He gave the researchers 100 thousand francs. It is worth saying, however, that Alfred was not particularly interested in working with explosive compounds. But at the same time, he could not refuse his father’s help. After 2 years, Alfred Bernhard Nobel created the first device that makes it possible to safely work with nitroglycerin. The substance was placed in a separate, sealed container. The detonator was placed in the next compartment - the capsule, which was later cast from metal. The created device almost completely eliminated the possibility of a spontaneous explosion. With its subsequent improvement, black powder began to be replaced with mercury. During one of the experiments, an explosion occurred, which killed 8 people, including Alfred's younger brother, Emil. The father took the death of his son very hard. Some time later, there was a stroke that confined him to bed for almost 7 years. Emmanuel Nobel was never able to get back on his feet and died in 1872 at the age of 71.

Love of books

Alfred Nobel was noted for his love of reading. In his library he included not only scientific works of various authors, but also classical works. Nobel was very fond of French and Russian writers. Among them were Hugo, Balzac, Maupassant. Nobel read Turgenev's novels in both Russian and French. It is worth saying that he was not only a chemist, but also a philosopher. Nobel had a doctorate.

Writing

Alfred Nobel also showed interest in him. Dynamite, a substance he patented, was not the goal of all his activities. In general, we can say that commerce was a means of subsistence, and not a favorite pastime. It is quite possible that he would have become a writer. Unfortunately, only one of his works has survived - a play in verse about Beatrice of Chechnya ("Nemesis").

Work after father's death

All, what Alfred Nobel invented, brought him a lot of income. At the same time, he himself exercised control over technological processes, selected personnel for the enterprise, and corresponded with partners. Nobel showed exceptional responsibility. He monitored accounting operations, advertising campaigns, product sales, and participated in negotiations with suppliers. Alfred Nobel's inventions used in a wide variety of industrial sectors. At the same time, the scientist saw great prospects in the use of explosive compounds for peaceful purposes. Thus, Nobel's dynamite was used in the mountainous region of Sera Nevada to lay railroad tracks.

First foreign enterprise

It was founded in 1865. The main office was in Hamburg. It is worth saying that working with explosive compounds is never without accidents. The new enterprise was no exception. Nobel was forced to constantly address security issues. His greatest desire was to create explosives that would be used exclusively for peaceful purposes.

Trip to America

Nobel went to the USA in 186. Here he wanted to found a new enterprise. However, the business world did not really please the entrepreneur. He was of the opinion that local businessmen were too keen on getting money. Because of this, the pleasure of communicating with them was lost. The actions taken by American businessmen dimmed the joy of cooperation and constantly reminded them of their true goals.

Successful experiment

In 1867, safe explosives were finally created. Nobel patented dynamite. It was a powder containing nitroglycerin and a chemically inert substance. The latter was the mineral kieselguhr. These are the fossilized remains of a diatom (sea plant). Dynamite was poured into drilled holes and exploded using a cord connected to a detonator. This allowed a person to be at a safe distance from the epicenter. Nobel's invention is still used in various fields today.

Ballistitis

He became the next discovery. After dynamite, explosive jelly was created. It was a mixture of gunpowder and nitroglycerin. Subsequently, Nobel created ballistite - a smokeless explosive. A few years later it was improved by Ael and Dewar. They created cordite based on ballistite. The scientists patented their invention as a novelty. However, this was incorrect, since its basis was ballistite. Nobel tried to challenge the patent in court, but the English government opposed it, and the scientist lost. It is worth saying that he often had to enter into such conflicts.

Public views

Nobel opposed granting voting rights to women. He expressed great doubts about the wisdom and effectiveness of the democratic model. At the same time, Nobel was against despotism. The workers of his enterprises were socially protected many times better than the staff of other owners. Nobel believed that a well-educated, well-fed and healthy person with high moral principles would bring much more benefit to the cause than a grossly exploited mass of illiterate people. He spent a lot of money on creating conditions for normal work. He paid special attention to security measures. Contemporaries called him a socialist. Although he didn’t consider himself that way.

Good of society

Nobel believed that all his inventions should be used for peaceful purposes. In the second half of the 19th century, the steam engine was created. Its appearance gave a huge impetus to the development of the economy. As a result, railways began to be built everywhere and tunnels were made. All of these works used Nobel's dynamite. The explosive was used to clear canals and deepen the bottom of reservoirs when laying shipping routes. If we talk about the military sphere, Nobel believed that if both sides had the same weapons, then there would be no clashes.

Error in obituary

At the beginning of his career as an industrial magnate, Nobel did not plan to bequeath his capital to charitable causes. However, his views changed in his declining years. Ludwig died in 1888. The newspapers mistakenly reported Alfred's death. At the same time, he was called a merchant of death, a man who made his fortune from blood. These messages greatly shocked Nobel's mother. She fell ill and died a year later. Of course, Alfred himself also could not remain indifferent to the articles. He moved to Italy. There Nobel settled in San Remo, in a secluded villa. On it he equipped a laboratory and conducted experiments on the synthesis of artificial silk and rubber.

Last will

During his years in San Remo, the scientist and entrepreneur began to think about how to manage his fortune. By that time, a reliable enterprise management system was in place, and profit distribution was controlled. Overseeing all this himself is considered the key achievement of this man. In his last will, he indicated that most of his fortune should go to rewards great scientists and people whose activities are aimed at strengthening peace. 31 million Swedish marks - the amount allocated for this Alfred Nobel. Nobel Prize was established in the fields of chemistry, physics, medicine/physiology. A reward was also given to the person who created an outstanding literary work. A fifth should be given to someone who made a significant contribution to the abolition of slavery, the unity of peoples, the promotion of peace and the reduction of the number of armies. Alfred Nobel's will contained his special wish. He pointed out that the reward should be given to a person regardless of his nationality. That is, the main criterion should be achievement, and not belonging to any country.

Women

Of course, the personality of this man aroused great interest among his contemporaries. And if everyone knew about his entrepreneurial and scientific activities, the intimate side was carefully hidden from outsiders. It is not even possible to establish from existing sources whether Alfred Nobel was married. This man's personal life, however, took place. His first love was Anna Desri. She was the daughter of a pharmacist. There is evidence that Nobel even wanted to get married. There are two versions explaining the reasons that the marriage did not take place. According to one of them, Anna fell ill and died. According to another, she started an affair with a certain Lemarge, a mathematician. According to rumors, this is precisely the reason for the absence of achievements in this discipline in the premium set. Another woman for whom the scientist had tender feelings was Sarah Bernhardt. Nobel saw her at a performance and fell in love. Another woman who captivated Nobel was Sophie Hess. She was only 20. She worked in a flower shop. This novel might not have been known if Hess had not made a claim to the inheritance after Nobel’s death. According to sources, she was in his custody for 19 years. Hess introduced herself to her neighbors as Madame Nobel. However, the relationship was not officially registered. In 1876, Nobel met Bertha Kinski. They could well have gotten engaged, but for unknown reasons this did not happen. It is known that it was Bertha who inspired Nobel to establish the prize. It is worth saying that they maintained good relations until the very last day of his life. Bertha Kinski was among the first people to receive the Peace Prize. She actively participated in the cause of preserving humanity from the beginning of the Third World War.

“King of Dynamite”, engineer and playwright: what is Alfred Nobel famous for?

Editor's response

July 14, 1867 Alfred Nobel demonstrated dynamite for the first time. A significant event took place in a quarry near the town of Redhill, which is located in the county of Surrey in the UK.

Alfred Nobel not only patented dynamite, but also gave it good advertising, and also established industrial production of the explosive. Dynamite began to be actively used in military operations and in the mining industry. What else is Alfred Nobel famous for? - in the AiF.ru certificate.

Dynamite creator

His most famous invention, of course, is dynamite. He began studying explosives after the bankruptcy of his family business in Russia. After Russia's defeat in the Crimean War, the father of the family lost all military orders. Returning to Sweden with his father in 1858, Alfred Nobel began experimenting with explosive liquid nitroglycerin and saw its clear advantages over gunpowder. The work was very dangerous; one day, his brother, Emil, died in an explosion at a factory. A few more accidents - and the production of nitroglycerin was banned in most countries. Alfred decides not to abandon the work he started. He reduces the explosiveness of nitroglycerin by mixing it with porous silica. As a result, the explosives took the necessary form, and transportation became safer. In 1867, Nobel patented his new material under the name “dynamite.” In addition to dynamite, the scientist discovered such substances as explosive jelly, ballistite (smokeless gunpowder) and cordite.

Nobel also invented and patented detonators for detonating charges. A few years after his inventions, the scientist owned factories in 20 countries. He bequeathed part of the wealth he earned to form a foundation that annually awards Nobel Prizes.

Dynamite. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

A - sawdust or other absorption material impregnated with nitroglycerin;

B—containment;

C - blasting capsule;

D - cable connected to the blasting capsule;

E - fastening tape.

Founder of the Nobel Prize

Many are surprised by Nobel’s decision to establish the Nobel Peace Prize, despite the fact that during his lifetime the scientist was called a “millionaire on blood”, “merchant of death”, “dynamite king”. Nobel himself did not want to remain in the memory of mankind as a “villain on a global scale”; he was strongly opposed to the use of his discoveries for military purposes. A few years before his death, he said: “I would like to invent a substance or machine with such destructive power that any war would become impossible.”

Alfred Nobel bequeathed most of his fortune to scientists as prizes for achievements in the main branches of science, literature and for activities to strengthen peace. The only thing he did not include in the list was mathematics. Rumor has it that this decision of the scientist is associated with the name of the Swedish mathematician Mittag-Leffler, whom Nobel disliked because he obsessively solicited donations for Stockholm University. According to another version, Nobel was in love with Sofia Kovalevskaya, which preferred Mittag-Leffler to him. According to the third version, Nobel simply did not consider mathematics to be a science that deals with discoveries and the formulation of laws that govern the world.

Engineer

Alfred Nobel owns 355 patents, including patents for a water meter, a barometer, a refrigeration apparatus, a gas burner, an improved method for producing sulfuric acid and the design of a combat rocket. In a short time, he developed the first bicycle with rubber tires, designed automatic brakes and safe steam boilers, and also made a huge contribution to industrialization, in particular, to the creation of oil refineries in Baku.

Oil tycoon

In 1879, Alfred Nobel and his brothers decided to invest in the oil business in Azerbaijan on the Absheron Peninsula. All processes, from the discovery of an oil field to the sale of petroleum products, were under the control of the brothers. And twenty years later, the Nobel brothers’ company owned a fixed capital of 30 million rubles, more than 13 factories (including 6 oil refineries). Thus, another part of the material base of the Nobel Prize is capital received from Baku oil.

Playwright

Nobel spoke well in French, German, Russian and English. He read a lot; among the writers of the 19th century, Nobel most distinguished the French writers and greatly admired Victor Hugo, he knew him personally. Englishman's poetry Percy Shelley inspired Alfred to create his own work. Nobel wrote several plays, novels and poems. True, only one of all these numerous works was published. This is the play "Nemesis", a tragedy in prose about the daughter of a Roman aristocrat Beatrice Cenci. The church considered the play scandalous and blasphemous, and all but three copies of the play were destroyed. The first surviving edition was published in Sweden in 2003, and in 2005 the play premiered in Stockholm on the day of the scientist’s death. In 1896, Alfred Nobel died at his villa in San Remo. There was no one in the house except the servants...

Rich Hermit

Alfred Nobel was a reserved, distrustful man, prone to sudden mood swings. He was single and never married. He had one assistant working in his laboratory for 18 years, and he did not allow anyone to do clerical work at all; his demands on his personal secretary were too high. One of the richest people in Europe, the owner of about a hundred factories, corporations and syndicates, died of a cerebral hemorrhage. In one of his last letters, he would write: “Heart disease will keep me in Paris for at least a few days until the doctors come to a consensus regarding my treatment. Isn’t it ironic that I was prescribed nitroglycerin!”

In 1874, the Italian Ascanio Sobrero managed to develop an oil with very explosive properties - nitroglycerin. But the oil was difficult to handle and would explode even if carelessly shaken too much, making it dangerous to transport and use. It was only when it was mixed with diatomaceous earth that the explosive became usable and in many ways changed the world, receiving the name “dynamite” from its inventor, Alfred Nobel.

Dynamite proved extremely useful for a variety of construction work, being used to build everything from roads and mines to railroads and ports. Dynamite contributed to worldwide economic development and became a major ingredient and product of Alfred Nobel's international industrial network.

But Nobel was not happy with the use of dynamite in the military field, and in 1895, a year before his death, he decided to bequeath his enormous fortune to a foundation that would award prizes in the fields of chemistry, physics, physiology or medicine, literature and work for the good of peace . These awards are known as Nobel Prizes.

Son of an Inventor

Alfred Bernhard Nobel was born on October 21, 1833 in Stockholm. His father's name was Immanuel Nobel, he was a builder and also engaged in invention, but with varying degrees of success. When Alfred was little, the family had such a hard time that they decided to move to St. Petersburg and build a new, better life there. Immanuel Nobel went first in 1837, and when money became better, he moved his family there - his wife Andrietta Nobel and sons Robert, Ludwig and Alfred.

Soon after all the Nobels settled in St. Petersburg, another, fourth, son was born in the family - Emil. In total, Immanuel and Andrietta Nobel had eight children, but four of them died in childhood. In St. Petersburg, Immanuel Nobel was also involved in the production of mines and steam engines, and he managed to achieve a fairly good position.

Robert, Ludwig and Alfred received a thorough interdisciplinary education: they studied classical literature and philosophy and, in addition to their native language, spoke four others fluently. The older brothers decided to focus on mechanics, while Alfred studied chemistry.

Alfred was especially interested in experimental chemistry. At the age of 17, he went abroad for two years on a study trip, during which he met famous chemists and took practical lessons from them. The Nobel brothers also worked in their father's factory, and if anything Alfred seems to have inherited his father's interest in carrying out daring and life-threatening experiments.

Lethal experiments with nitroglycerin

So, nitroglycerin was invented - a mixture of sulfuric acid, nitric acid and glycerin, and although it was still new and undeveloped, Messrs. Nobel was also very familiar with it. However, no one really knew how to use this substance. It was clear that if you put a small amount of nitroglycerin on a workbench and hit it with a hammer, it would explode, or at least the part of it that was hit by the hammer would explode. The problem is that the nitroglycerin explosion was difficult to completely control.

In 1858, the factory of Alfred Nobel's father went bankrupt. Father and mother moved back to Sweden with their youngest son Emil, and Robert Nobel went to Finland. Ludwig Nobel founded his own mechanical workshop, where Alfred Nobel apparently also helped - and at the same time carried out various experiments with nitroglycerin.

The work gained momentum when Alfred Nobel moved to Stockholm. He received his first Swedish patent for a method of producing “Nobel's explosive oil,” as he called nitroglycerin. Together with his father and brother Emil, he began producing the substance on an industrial scale in Heleneborg.

Alfred and Immanuel Nobel wanted to create a safe explosive, but the production process was not at all safe. For the first time, experiments had truly tragic consequences: in 1864, the laboratory blew up, and several people, including Emil Nobel, died. The Nobels simply did not realize how dangerous a substance they were dealing with and how risky it was to conduct experiments in the city.

Explosion accidents also occurred outside Sweden, and many countries introduced legislation prohibiting the use and transport of Nobel's explosive oil. Stockholm authorities have, for obvious reasons, banned the production of nitroglycerin in the city. Tens of thousands of people actually laid their lives on the experiments that were carried out in Nobel's factories, many died because the product his company supplied was so dangerous.

“The brain is a generator of impressions of a very unstable nature, and anyone who has the impression that he is right only believes that he is right,” noted Alfred Nobel in one of his notebooks.

Nitroglycerin + diatomaceous earth = true

But despite all this, Alfred Nobel found an effective way to sell his product, and although the public feared the substance, nitroglycerin was soon being used to blow up everything from railway tunnels to mines. So only six weeks after the Heleneborg explosion, Alfred Nobel founded Nitroglycerin AB, the world's first nitroglycerin factory, and bought a plot of land with a house from Winterviken to continue his activities there.

In 1963, Alfred Nobel also received a patent for a detonator - a small capsule with a fuse that ignites other explosives, which was needed to make nitroglycerin explode via a cord. This became part of Nobel's greatest discovery, which was already very close.

Context

Worst Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Die Welt 06.10.2017

Nobel Prize: hypocrisy or cynicism?

Versions.com 01/27/2017

The craziest invention of the Cold War

Helsingin Sanomat 09/04/2017

The opportunity to create. What were the scientific Nobel Prizes for?

Carnegie Moscow Center 08.10.2016

Possible computer revolution of the 21st century

The Conversation 11/08/2016 Two years later, in 1865, Nobel moved to Hamburg, Germany. After many difficulties and several more and less serious explosions, he finally invented dynamite. He mixed nitroglycerin with kieselguhr, a porous sedimentary rock composed of diatom deposits that he took from the banks of the Elbe River. As a result, he finally got a stable mixture with good explosive properties. He gave the mass an easy-to-use form of bars, which exploded only when the detonator was ignited.

The name dynamite comes from the Greek “dynamis”, which means “strength”: this idea probably appeared in connection with the then name of the electric motor - dynamo.

Dynamite made Alfred Nobel a world famous inventor. He received a patent for it in 1867, but the experiment was not yet over.

Nobel wanted to make dynamite even more powerful and give it water resistance, which was still missing. He mixed nitroglycerin with a small amount of pyroxylin and the result was explosive gelatin that could be used under water. 10 years after the invention of dynamite, he received a patent for his third great invention - ballistite, or Nobel gunpowder, which was a mixture of equal parts of nitroglycerin and pyroxylin. The advantage of ballistite was its low smoke quality: when it exploded, very little smoke was produced.

While working in the laboratory, Alfred Nobel also developed business skills. He traveled to different countries and demonstrated his explosives and how to use them. Dynamite, for example, was used on a large scale in the construction of the world's third largest tunnel, the St. Gotthard Tunnel, passing through the Alps in Switzerland.

Lonely director in poor health

Given this state of affairs, Nobel moved his headquarters to Paris and bought a large villa on what was then Avenue de Malakoff (today called Avenue Poincaré). He created one of the first multinational enterprises in Europe with more than 20 subsidiaries and managed this business empire himself.

Alfred Nobel traveled around the world - to Scotland, Vienna and Stockholm - and wrote thousands of business letters. Dynamite was sold especially successfully in the USA, and factories were built in Great Britain, Switzerland and Italy. Even in Asia, one company appeared. Nobel seemed to enjoy making a lot of money. Despite this, he was not greedy and showed generosity towards those around him.

But Nobel’s health was poor: he regularly had angina attacks. It must have been difficult to manage the grueling administrative affairs of an entire international network of businesses on his own, and despite his efforts to maintain a healthy, tobacco- and alcohol-free lifestyle, Alfred Nobel often felt tired and ill.

“Alfred Nobel made a pleasant impression... Slightly below average height, with a dark beard, not beautiful, but not ugly facial features, which were enlivened only by the soft gaze of his blue eyes, and his voice sounded either melancholic or mocking.” — his friend Bertha von Suttner said about Alfred Nobel.

In 1889, Alfred Nobel moved to San Remo, where he set up a new laboratory. Italy bought a license to produce his low-smoke gunpowder, and the local climate was favorable for his health, which improved slightly. He devoted all his time to invention and literature, there was a large library in his house, and his collection of fiction, for example, was preserved in the Nobel Library of the Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Alfred Nobel died in 1896 in his villa in San Remo. He was 63 years old. When Nobel's heirs went to San Remo to receive their share of the inheritance, they encountered a real surprise.

An astonishing testament

When Nobel's valid will was read, the audience was amazed. The will stated that Nobel's capital, which at the time of his death amounted to a dizzying 35 million Swedish kronor, would form the basis of a fund that would spend the proceeds of this amount annually on bonuses to people who had brought the "greatest benefit" to humanity during the year. The nationality of the nominee and his gender should not have mattered.

The profit was to be divided into five equal parts, each of which would become a prize in the field of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, as well as literature. The fifth prize was to go to the one who most contributed to the establishment of fraternal relations between people or the reduction of armies, in other words, fought for peace. Prizes for physics and chemistry were to be distributed by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, for physiology or medicine by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the literary prize by the Swedish Academy, and the Peace Prize by a five-member commission elected by the Storting, the Norwegian parliament.

Multimedia

RIA Novosti 10/02/2017 The will became a world sensation. Swedish newspapers described Nobel as a famous inventor who retained an interest in Sweden despite spending his life abroad (although in reality he was simply homesick and was not a nationalist at all). The newspaper Dagens Nyheter stated that Nobel was a famous friend of the world:
“The inventor of dynamite was the most devoted and hopeful supporter of the peaceful movement. He was convinced that the more devastating the instruments of murder were, the sooner the madness of war would become impossible.”

However, the authenticity of the will was called into question, and those organizations that were tasked with distributing the bonuses were initially tormented by doubts. The Swedish king was also critical of the awards, especially the fact that they were supposed to be international. After legal disputes and intense protests from Nobel's relatives, a Nobel Committee was created to look after Nobel's condition and organize the distribution of prizes.

An idealist of sorts

Alfred Nobel's life was unusual in many ways. After moving from St. Petersburg, he had to fight for his inventions and his enterprise for ten years. In his old age, already a successful businessman, Alfred Nobel had more than 350 patents. But he lived a secluded life and rarely participated in public events.

In his youth, he faced difficulties due to the fact that he came up with ideas that he could not implement due to lack of resources. Perhaps that is why he decided to give away his millions to unknown people who made significant discoveries - as a reward to unsettled, diligent and full of ideas individuals from any part of the world. Moreover, he himself said that the inherited condition is a misfortune that only contributes to the apathy of the human race.

Nobel considered establishing a prize many times, and he was very interested in working for the benefit of peace. Among other things, he had the idea of ​​creating a European peace tribunal. It is clear that he wanted to bequeath his fortune to causes that could support his own passions in life: science, literature, and work for the good of the world.

The moral conflict that the inventor who created so many destructive weapons was an ardent supporter of peace, he himself apparently did not notice.

Alfred Nobel, who dedicated his life to creating increasingly powerful explosives used to cause death and destruction in war, also founded an important peace prize, and this created a contradictory impression. Apparently, Nobel perceived himself primarily as a scientist and believed that the application of inventions was no longer his business. As the newspaper Dagens Nyheter wrote after his death, he believed that he could make war impossible simply by making the weapons terrible enough.

Piecing together Alfred Nobel's entire fortune has proven to be a massive undertaking. Nobel appointed his employee Ragnar Sohlman as executor of the will, and only three and a half years after Nobel's death the king was able to approve the charter and rules of the Nobel Committee. Due to the international nature of the prize, as well as the size of the prize money, it was treated with great respect from the very beginning. The first five Nobel Prizes were awarded on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, December 10, 1901.

Alfred Nobel never married, but he had a long affair with a young Austrian, Sofie Hess, who was 20 years old when they met. He was clearly in love with Sophie Hess and even bought her an apartment in Paris, but she never seemed to live up to his requirements for a potential wife, and when she finally found another life partner, their relationship ended in nothing.

“I am not an expert on people, I can only state facts,” wrote Alfred Nobel in a letter to Sophie Hess.

Nobel was a very creative person; many ideas were constantly spinning in his head. “If 300 ideas come to my mind in a year, and at least one of them is applicable, I am already satisfied,” Alfred Nobel once wrote. He wrote down aphorisms and ideas for inventions in small notebooks, and from them one can get an idea of ​​the worldview of the inventor, who often walked around lost in thought:

"Railway protection: an explosive charge for a locomotive to destroy substances placed on the rails."

“A cartridge without a case. Gunpowder ignited by a small glass tube which is broken.”

“A gun with water sprayed into the muzzle to avoid smoke and recoil.”

"Soft glass"

"Production of aluminum."

And: “When we talk about understanding and reason, we thereby mean perception, which in our time is considered the norm for most educated people.”

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

In St. Petersburg, on the Petrogradskaya embankment, you can see an unusual monument, which is a fancy tree made of bronze. A large bird hides in its branches, and its roots extend into a granite pedestal. The inscription “Alfred Nobel” is stamped on one of the faces. There is a photograph of the monument in our article.

Nobels in Russia

The location for the monument was not chosen by chance. The Bolshaya Nevka embankment on the Vyborg side is directly related to the life of the outstanding scientist, engineer and entrepreneur. Here, until 1999, there was a world-famous machine-building plant. It was founded in 1862 by Ludwig Nobel and bore his name. In 1917, the enterprise was nationalized and renamed “Russian Diesel”. However, the hero of our article is not Ludwig, but his younger brother, Alfred Nobel.

The Nobel family lived in Russia for a long time. Father and sons were engaged in the industrial production of engines, components for machines and mechanisms. Nobels also worked in the oil industry. They established the extraction, processing and transportation of black Baku gold. Their merit lies in equipping the Russian army and navy with mines, bombs and shells.

Commerce was not the only destiny of the family. They devoted a lot of effort and money to charity - they established scholarships, financed scientific research, medical institutions and cultural institutions.

Origin of the surname

Nobel's biography has been traced only since the 17th century. His paternal grandfather was a barber named Nobelius. In those days, this profession, in addition to cutting hair and shaving stubble, also included surgical operations - bloodletting and pulling out teeth. In 1775, the ancestor shortened his surname.

Childhood

Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833. The father, Emmanuel Nobel, left Sweden with his family in 1842. By the time of their arrival in our country, out of eight children, only four remained alive - Alfred, Emil, Robert and Ludwig. At home, the family was truly in poverty. My father did odd jobs. He was a talented person - he understood architecture, construction, and had the talent of an inventor. His last attempt to provide a decent life for his wife and children in his homeland was the organization of an enterprise for the production of elastic fabrics, but things did not work out in Sweden, and he went to Russia, first to the north, to Finland, which was then part of the empire, and then to Saint Petersburg.

Life in Russia

Our country was on the rise - the era of development of large industrial production was beginning. The older brothers and Alfred Nobel himself always remembered this time with warmth. A short biography of all three is in almost every encyclopedic dictionary.

Emmanuel Nobel quickly got used to his new place. The head of the family began producing lathes and equipment for them, as well as manufacturing metal cases for the mines he himself invented. Soon he moved his family here too. Emmanuel Nobel and his wife Andrietta settled in a large and comfortable house, hired good private teachers for their children, and acquired household help.

All sons were remarkably talented and hardworking people. Their parents gave them a good education and taught them to work. Alfred Nobel was no exception. The biography shows that in addition to his native language, he was fluent in Russian, German, French and English. At the age of 17, Alfred went to France, Germany and the USA for three years, where he continued his education.

Returning to Russia, Nobel Alfred got a job in his father's company, which produced ammunition for the Crimean military campaign. In 1856, the war ended, and the manufactory of Emmanuel Nobel, in order not to go bankrupt, demanded an early reorganization. Ludwig and Robert took up this task, and Alfred and his parents and younger brother Emil returned to Sweden.

Return to Sweden

In Stockholm, Alfred began to implement long-standing ideas in the fields of mechanics and chemistry. He worked very successfully and even patented three inventions.

Alfred's parents settled in a suburb of Stockholm. On his estate, Emmanuel set up an experimental laboratory in which he conducted experiments on detonation.

The only explosive used in warfare at that time was black powder. They already knew about the explosive properties of nitroglycerin. The Italian chemist Ascaño Sobrero first synthesized it in 1847, but no one has yet been able to “tame” the dangerous chemical compound. The danger was the rapid transition of a substance from any state into an easily explosive gas.

After several encouraging experiments, Emmanuel involved his son in his work. Alfred Nobel (the short biography contains such information) began searching for sponsors. By 1861, one was found in France. He gave a loan for one hundred thousand francs. Working with explosives was not of interest to the future “father of dynamite,” as Alfred Nobel later became known. However, he did not want to refuse to help his parent and joined in his experiments.

Two years later, Nobel Alfred came up with a device in which nitroglycerin was placed in a separate, hermetically sealed container, and the detonator was placed in an adjacent, so-called capsule. This element began to be cast from metal. Thus, the likelihood of an accidental explosion was practically eliminated. With further improvements to the invention, black gunpowder was replaced with mercury.

During one of the experiments, a powerful explosion occurred in the laboratory, killing eight people. Among them was Emil. The father had a hard time with the death of his youngest son, and soon he suffered a stroke, which confined him to bed for almost seven years, until his death, which occurred in 1872, when he was 71 years old.

Alfred Bernhard Nobel (Swedish: Alfred Bernhard Nobel). Born October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, Swedish-Norwegian Union - died December 10, 1896 in San Remo, Kingdom of Italy. Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor of dynamite. He bequeathed his enormous fortune to the establishment of prizes awarded for the most important achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and for contributions to the strengthening of peace. The synthesized chemical element Nobelium is named in his honor. The Nobel Institute of Physics and Chemistry in Stockholm and the University in Dnepropetrovsk are named in honor of Nobel.

Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833 to Emmanuel (Immanuel) (1801-1872) and Andrietta Nobel. He was the third son, in total there were eight children in the family, but besides Alfred, only Robert, Ludwig and Emil survived.

In the early autumn of 1842, Nobel's family moved to St. Petersburg, where Emmanuel began work on developing torpedoes.

In 1849, after seven years of the Nobel family’s stay in St. Petersburg, the father, on the recommendation of the Russian chemist Nikolai Nikolaevich Zinin, sent his son to study in Europe and America. In the spring of the following year, sixteen-year-old Alfred Nobel left St. Petersburg. He visited Denmark, Germany, Italy, France and then America. The trip abroad took about two years.

Returning to Russia, Nobel began managing the affairs of family factories that carried out military orders for the Russian army. The Crimean War that began in 1853 contributed to the further prosperity of Nobel's company.

In 1859, the second son of Emmanuel Nobel, Ludwig Emmanuel Nobel (1831-1888), began to do this. Alfred, forced to return to Sweden with his father after the failure of the family business, devoted himself to the study of explosives, especially the safe production and use of nitroglycerin, discovered in 1846 by Ascanio Sobrero.

In 1868, Nobel received a patent for dynamite - a mixture of nitroglycerin with substances capable of absorbing it. To promote his discovery, he gave public demonstrations of the new explosive and gave lectures on how it worked. As a result, more and more people began to show interest in Nobel's invention.

Several explosions occurred at the plant owned by the Nobel family, one of which in 1864 killed Nobel’s younger brother Emil and several other workers. From the production of dynamite and other explosives and from the development of the oil fields of Baku (the Branobel Partnership), in which he and his brothers Ludwig and Robert played a significant role, Alfred Nobel accumulated a significant fortune.

Alfred Nobel's activity as a playwright is one of the little-known facts of his biography. His only play, Nemesis, a 4-act prose tragedy about Beatrice Cenci, was written while he was dying. The entire edition, published in Paris in 1896, except for three copies, was destroyed immediately after his death, since the play was considered scandalous and blasphemous by the church. The first surviving edition (bilingual, in Swedish and Esperanto) was published in Sweden in 2003, and in 2005 the play premiered in Stockholm on the day of the scientist’s death.

Discovery of dynamite

In 1888, by mistake of reporters, a newspaper published a message about Nobel's death. This had a serious impact on Alfred. When they began to write about him as “a millionaire on blood”, “a merchant of explosive death”, “a dynamite king”, he decided to do so so as not to remain in the memory of mankind as a “villain on a global scale”.

In 1889 he attended the World Peace Congress.

On December 10, 1896, Alfred Nobel died at his villa in San Remo, Italy, of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 63 years old. He was buried in the Norra begravningsplatsen cemetery in Stockholm.

In 1970, the International Astronomical Union named a crater on the far side of the Moon named after Alfred Nobel.

On October 21, 1991, on the initiative of the Swedish Nobel Foundation, with funds from the International Foundation for the History of Science, a bronze monument to Alfred Nobel was opened on Petrogradskaya Embankment near the Nakhimov School.

The asteroid (6032) Nobel, discovered by astronomer Lyudmila Karachkina at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory on August 4, 1983, is named in honor of A. Nobel.

Nobel's inventions:

Dynamite. Nobel discovered that nitroglycerin in an inert substance such as diatomaceous earth (diatomaceous earth) became safer and more convenient to use, and he patented this mixture in 1867 under the name dynamite.

Rattlesnake jelly. Nobel combined nitroglycerin with another explosive, collodion, to create a clear, jelly-like substance that was more explosive than dynamite. Explosive jelly, as it was called, was patented in 1876. This was followed by experiments in making similar combinations with potassium nitrate, wood pulp, etc.

Ballistite and cordite. A few years later, Nobel invented ballistite, one of the first nitroglycerin smokeless powders, consisting in one of the latest versions of equal parts of gunpowder and nitroglycerin. This powder would become a precursor to cordite, and Nobel's claim that his patent also included cordite would be the subject of bitter legal battles between him and the British government in 1894 and 1895.

Cordite also consists of nitroglycerin and gunpowder, and the researchers wanted to use the most nitrated variety of gunpowder, insoluble in mixtures of ether and alcohol, while Nobel proposed the use of less nitrated forms, soluble in these mixtures.

The question was complicated by the fact that in practice it is almost impossible to prepare one of the forms in its pure form, without the admixture of the second. Ultimately, the court ruled against Nobel.

Throughout his life, Nobel professed pacifist ideas. Like some other inventors (in particular, the creator of the first machine gun, Richard Gatling), he believed that if opponents had a weapon with which they could instantly destroy each other, then they would understand that they would gain nothing from the war and end the conflict.

Nobel Prize:

In 1888, reporters from a French newspaper mistakenly published a report on the death of Alfred Nobel (newspapers confused the inventor with his older brother Ludwig, who died in St. Petersburg.). He was called a “millionaire on blood”, “merchant of death”, “dynamite king”. This made a strong impression on the businessman; he did not want to remain in the memory of mankind as a “villain on a global scale.”

On November 27, 1895, at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris, Nobel signed his will, according to which most of his fortune - about 31 million Swedish marks - was to be used to establish prizes for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and for activities to strengthen peace. The will read: “I, the undersigned, Alfred Bernhard Nobel, having considered and decided, hereby declare my will regarding the property acquired by me... My executors must transfer the capital into securities, creating a fund, the interest from which will be given in the form of a bonus to those who, during the previous brought the greatest benefit to humanity.

The indicated 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 - in the field of chemistry, the third - in the field of physiology or medicine, the fourth - to the one who created the most significant literary work reflecting human ideals, the fifth - to those who will make a significant contribution to the unity of peoples, the abolition of slavery, the reduction of the size of existing armies and the promotion of a peace agreement.

...My special wish is that the awarding of prizes should not be influenced by the nationality of the candidate, so that the most deserving ones will receive the prize, regardless of whether they are Scandinavian or not.".

Since 1969, on the initiative of the Swedish Bank, prizes in memory of A. Nobel in economics have also been awarded, unofficially called the “Nobel Prizes in Economics.”