Alfred Nobel: The Man behind the Prize.

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Alfred Nobel: The Man behind the Prize.

Alfred Nobel is known for starting the Nobel Prize. This prize is given every year to some of the greatest minds in the world who through their work, help to better society. In opposition to the improvement of society, is the fact that Nobel’s other known inventions brought much death and destruction to the world (Frost). This combination of inventions helps to pose the question who was Alfred Nobel, and why did Nobel create this prize to help the world. In this paper I will find out who was the man behind the inventions that brought so much death and destruction to the world. I will also find out why he created this prize to have people work to better the planet and protect life itself. Lastly there have been many awards given out, and I will investigate some of the winners and the role that the Nobel Prize played in their subsequent lives.
It seems to me that if it was not for Alfred Nobel’s invention of blasting caps and dynamite the industrial revolution and the great gold rush wouldn’t be the same as we know it today. The explosive properties of dynamite allowed people to move mountains to build new roads, and dig deeper mines to reach the vast wealth underground. This creation made one of the biggest impacts in the world in my opinion, and it fascinates me to know that the creator of something so powerful seems to have shifted direction in his later years to a more peaceful manner.
The reason I wrote this report is that I wanted to find out where Nobel came from and what forces played a role in his creation of such a destructive power. Also, I am very curious what caused his shift in perspective to create a prize to better society. Over the years there have been many winners of the 5 Nobel prizes, and I intend to investigate some of their individual contributions to help determine criteria for winning the prizes.
Alfred Nobel was born to Immanuel and Andriette Nobel in Stockholm Sweden on October 21 1833 (Frost). Nobel was the 2nd youngest of 4 children. His father, Immanuel Nobel, was a great inventor but a very poor business man and his mother, whom he dearly loved, “kept the family together” (Fant). After many ill-fated business decisions and going bankrupt, Immanuel Nobel decided to move the family to Russia in the hopes of starting a new life (Fant). The Nobel family settled i...

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... the award was given back in 1901 until today the thoughts of those winners have helped shape our world. Those winners will be forever known as people who helped promote peace and make this world a better place for everyone.

Works Cited

Frost, Bob. “Alfred Nobel: From Merchant of Death, to Man of Peace." Biography Dec.
2001: p92. Academic Search Elite. NC LIVE. Wake Technical
Community Coll. Lib., 3 Mar 2002. http://www.nclive.org

Jackson, Donald Dale. “While he expected the worst, Nobel hoped for the best: The inventor of dynamite was a gloomy skeptic who left a legacy that honors achievement." Smithsonian Nov 1988: p201. General Reference Center Gold. NC LIVE. Wake Technical Community Coll. Lib., 3 Mar 2002. http://www.nclive.org

Fant, Kenne, “Alfred Nobel: A Biography.”, trans. Marianne Ruuth New York: Arcade, 1993.

Sohlman, Michael. “Eyes on the Prize: Alfred Nobel’s legacy today." Harvard International Review: 24.2 2003: Expanded Academic ASAP. NC LIVE. Wake

“Prize-Awarding Institution: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.”
Economics. Nobel E-Museum. 19 September 2002. 24 March 2003.

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