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KF5JRV > TODAY 10.12.18 13:33l 60 Lines 3254 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Dec 10
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Sent: 181210/1222Z 26683@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.17
The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields
of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. The ceremony
came on the fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish
inventor of dynamite and other high explosives. In his will, Nobel
directed that the bulk of his vast fortune be placed in a fund in which
the interest would be “annually distributed in the form of prizes to
those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest
benefit on mankind.ö Although Nobel offered no public reason for his
creation of the prizes, it is widely believed that he did so out of
moral regret over the increasingly lethal uses of his inventions in war.
Alfred Bernhard Nobel was born in Stockholm in 1833, and four years
later his family moved to Russia. His father ran a successful St.
Petersburg factory that built explosive mines and other military
equipment. Educated in Russia, Paris, and the United States, Alfred
Nobel proved a brilliant chemist. When his father’s business faltered
after the end of the Crimean War, Nobel returned to Sweden and set up a
laboratory to experiment with explosives. In 1863, he invented a way to
control the detonation of nitroglycerin, a highly volatile liquid that
had been recently discovered but was previously regarded as too
dangerous for use. Two years later, Nobel invented the blasting cap, an
improved detonator that inaugurated the modern use of high explosives.
Previously, the most dependable explosive was black powder, a form of
gunpowder.
Nitroglycerin remained dangerous, however, and in 1864 Nobel’s
nitroglycerin factory blew up, killing his younger brother and several
other people. Searching for a safer explosive, Nobel discovered in 1867
that the combination of nitroglycerin and a porous substance called
kieselguhr produced a highly explosive mixture that was much safer to
handle and use. Nobel christened his invention “dynamite,ö for the Greek
word dynamis, meaning “power.ö Securing patents on dynamite, Nobel
acquired a fortune as humanity put his invention to use in construction
and warfare.
In 1875, Nobel created a more powerful form of dynamite, blasting
gelatin, and in 1887 introduced ballistite, a smokeless nitroglycerin
powder. Around that time, one of Nobel’s brothers died in France, and
French newspapers printed obituaries in which they mistook him for
Alfred. One headline read, “The merchant of death is dead.ö Alfred Nobel
in fact had pacifist tendencies and in his later years apparently
developed strong misgivings about the impact of his inventions on the
world. After he died in San Remo, Italy, on December 10, 1896, the
majority of his estate went toward the creation of prizes to be given
annually in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and
peace. The portion of his will establishing the Nobel Peace Prize read,
“[one award shall be given] to the person who has done the most or best
work for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction of
standing armies, and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.ö
Exactly five years after his death, the first Nobel awards were
presented.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
email: KF5JRV@ICLOUD.COM
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