--- title: Alfred Nobel slug: alfred-nobel-47c8b url: /detay/alfred-nobel-47c8b type: biography language: English entity: primary: Alfred Nobel type: biography categories: - name: Chemistry slug: kimya url: /kategori/kimya - name: Biography And Autobiography slug: biyografi-ve-otobiyografi url: /kategori/biyografi-ve-otobiyografi - name: Engineering slug: muhendislik url: /kategori/muhendislik tags: - Will - Alfred Awards - Inventors - History of Science - Scientific Research - Industrial Revolution - Alfred Nobel - nobel - Nitroglycerin - Nobel Prizes - Dynamite - Chemical engineering - Industrial design author: Burcu Sandıkçı created_at: 2026-07-06T18:23:08.444896+03:00 updated_at: 2026-07-06T18:23:08.444896+03:00 image: https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/08/6etIr3rTre71Y9qxaq4Nd6HaAFh9zJgV.png --- # Alfred Nobel > Alfred Nobel (1833–1896), the Swedish inventor, chemist and businessman who invented dynamite, established the Nobel Prizes through his will. ## KURE Information Cards ![nobel-prize-1356450_1280 (1).jpg](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/08/B8ZVIve2FttVLdbnRjpQxnUwAUFm4Eey.jpg) *Alfred Nobel* | Field | Value | |-------|-------| | Birth | 1833, Stockholm | | Death | 1896, San Remo | | Profession | Businessperson,Chemist,Engineer,Mucit | | Notable Inventions | Holder of 355 patents for dynamite, gelatin explosive, and ballistite | | Legacy | Founder of the Nobel Prizes | ## Article Content **Alfred Nobel,** the Swedish inventor, chemist, and industrialist who invented dynamite, influenced modern chemistry and engineering through his scientific work and established an international system of evaluation and recognition in science, literature, and peace through the Nobel Prizes created according to his will. ### **Childhood and Youth** Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm in 1833. He belonged to a wealthy family, but his father, engineer Immanuel Nobel, went bankrupt in the year Alfred was born. While the family faced economic hardship, Immanuel Nobel moved to [Finland](/en/detay/finlandiya-3/llms.txt) and [Russia](/en/detay/asya-2/llms.txt) to rebuild his business. During this time, his mother Andriette Ahlsell remained in Stockholm with the children and supported the family. Nobel’s father regained his fortune in St Petersburg by manufacturing equipment for the Russian army and underwater mines for the Crimean War. When Alfred turned nine, he moved to Russia with his family. ### **Education** Alfred Nobel received his education at home in Russia along with his three siblings. Although he never attended university, he acquired extensive knowledge in physical sciences, natural sciences, foreign languages, and literature. By the age of seventeen, he spoke five languages fluently: Swedish, Russian, French, English, and German. He had a particular interest in literature, chemistry, and physics. Displeased with his son’s passion for poetry, his father sent him abroad to pursue engineering. Nobel received chemical training in France, Germany, Italy, and the United States, where he met renowned chemists and industrialists. While working in the laboratory of the famous chemist Prof. T. J. Pelouze in Paris, he met the Italian scientist Ascanio Sobrero, who had discovered nitroglycerin. Sobrero described the substance as too dangerous for practical use. The volatile solution known as [nitroglycerin](/en/detay/dinamit-0e9cf/llms.txt) was extremely sensitive to shock. Nitroglycerin captured Alfred Nobel’s interest, and he began researching how it could be safely used in construction. Later, he also worked with Swedish-American inventor John Ericsson to further develop his technical skills. ### **Career** After returning to Russia, Nobel worked with his father to turn nitroglycerin into a commercial explosive. Although his father returned to Sweden, Alfred and his brothers continued expanding the family business in Russia. They became prominent in the oil industry in southern Russia, and part of Alfred’s fortune was derived from these oil revenues. [YouTube Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykUXN0gkt7M) *class=\\* In 1863, he returned to Sweden with his family. Nobel focused on nitroglycerin, but several explosions during experiments resulted in the deaths of many people, including his brother Emil. As a result, the Swedish government banned testing in urban areas. Nobel continued his work at a laboratory he built on Lake Mälaren. In 1864, he began mass-producing nitroglycerin. In 1865, he patented a detonator using mercury fulminate. This new type of detonator made it possible to ignite large explosive charges in a controlled manner, and the device became known as the “Nobel detonator.” In 1866, during experiments, he discovered that mixing nitroglycerin with a fine powder-like soil called kieselguhr transformed the substance into a more stable, shock-resistant paste. Inspired by the Greek word “dynamis,” meaning power, he named this new explosive “dynamite.” He developed it into a stick-like material and invented a new detonator that could be ignited with a fuse. These innovations made explosives usable in a controlled manner. Dynamite was soon produced in many countries. Nobel’s inventions found great demand in tunneling, bridge construction, and mining. He established more than twenty factories worldwide. In 1875, he developed gelignite, an explosive made from a colloidal suspension of nitrocellulose in glycerin, followed by ballistite, a nearly smokeless powder used in military ammunition. He also conducted experiments on synthetic rubber, leather, and artificial silk. He held 355 patents worldwide in explosives and engineering. Through his work, he founded numerous companies, including Nitroglycerin AB in Stockholm, Alfred Nobel & Co. in Krümmel, the United States Blasting Oil Company, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in Great Britain, Société Centrale de Dynamite in France, and Dyno Industries in Norway. ### **Personal Life** Alfred Nobel never married and had no children. He spent much of his life traveling. He began living in Paris in 1870 but moved to San Remo due to conflicts with French authorities. After facing protests against his work in San Remo, he relocated to the Bofors-Gullspång facilities in Karlskoga, Sweden. His library in San Remo contained over 1,500 books, many in their original languages. The majority of these works covered literature, philosophy, religion, history, and science. Nobel also wrote poetry and novel drafts. ### **Final Years and Death** Alfred Nobel died on 10 December 1896 in San Remo, Italy. Until his death, he held 355 patents in biology, physiology, optics, and especially explosives. ![Image](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/08/OOeoWdgO6wv9jWkvxb5CMQJ9LY2CJ7bd.jpg) *class=\\* ### **Legacy and Impact** Nobel bequeathed a large portion of his fortune, approximately 31 million Swedish kronor, to establish the Nobel Prizes. Disputes over Nobel’s nationality and the country where the foundation should be established were debated for years. According to French law, a person’s legal residence was considered the place where their horses were kept; since Nobel’s horses were in Sweden, this was sufficient to recognize him as a Swedish citizen. On 29 June 1900, the Nobel Foundation was officially approved by King Oscar II of Sweden.[^1]  ### **Will** In his will, Alfred Nobel stipulated that his fortune be used to award prizes annually to those who had made the greatest contribution to humanity in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. He appointed his assistant Ragnar Sohlman and partner Rudolf Lilljequist as executors of his will. Despite objections from his relatives, the will was accepted after a four-year legal process, and the first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901. > “All my remaining assets that can be converted into securities shall be invested in safe bonds and constitute a fund, the interest from which shall be distributed annually as prizes to those who, during the previous year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The interest shall be divided into five equal parts: one part to the person who has made the most important discovery or invention in physics; one part to the person who has made the most important chemical discovery or improvement; one part to the person who has made the most important discovery in physiology or medicine; one part to the person who has produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction; and one part to the person who has done the most or the best work for the advancement of [international brotherhood](/en/detay/uluslararasi-atom-enerjisi-kurumu-2/llms.txt), the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses. The prizes for physics and chemistry shall be awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences, the prizes for physiology or medicine by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the prize for literature by the Academy in Stockholm, and the peace prize by a committee of five persons elected by the Norwegian Storting. I wish it to be explicitly understood that nationality shall not be considered in awarding the prizes, and that they shall be given to the most deserving person, whether Swedish or not.”[^2] ## Academic Sources and References 1. Alfred Nobels Björkborn. "Alfred Nobel." Accessed December 8, 2025. https://nobelkarlskoga.se/welcome-2/alfred-nobel\_english/ 2. Fill. "Nobel Ödülü." Pixabay. Accessed December 8, 2025.  https://pixabay.com/tr/photos/nobel-%c3%b6d%c3%bcl%c3%bc-nobel-fiyat-%c3%b6d%c3%bcl-t%c3%b6reni-1356450/ 3. IsaacFryxelius. “Alfred Nobel.” Pixabay. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://pixabay.com/tr/photos/nobel-alfred-tablo-madeni-para-2166136/ 4. Kenton, Will. “Alfred Nobel: Influences, Nobel Prize, FAQ.” Investopedia. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/alfred-nobel.asp 5. Lichtman, Marshall A. “Alfred Nobel and His Prizes: From Dynamite to DNA.” \*Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal\* 8, no. 3 (2017): e0035, 1-15. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5548114/ 6. Nobel Prize Museum. “Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prize.” YouTube video, 5:15. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykUXN0gkt7M 7. Science History. "Alfred Nobel." Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/alfred-nobel/ 8. The Nobel Prize. "Alfred Nobel’s Life and Work." Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/alfred-nobels-life-and-work/ 9. The Nobel Prize. "Full Text of Alfred Nobel’s Will." Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/full-text-of-alfred-nobels-will-2/ ## Citations [^1]: Marshall A. Lichtman, “Alfred Nobel and His Prizes: From Dynamite to DNA,” Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal 8, no. 3 (2017): syf 6, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5548114/ [^2]: The Nobel Prize, “Full Text of Alfred Nobel’s Will”, Erişim 8 Aralık 2025, https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/full-text-of-alfred-nobels-will-2/