2007-9-13

Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist, industrialist and the inventor of blasting gelatine who had laid the foundations for world famous Nobel Prize with his substantive legacy.
Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden on October 21, 1833. During 1841 to 1842, he received his education in a mission school in Stockholm. During 1843 to 1850, he had been given first class education by private teachers in St. Petersburg, the capital city of Russia. During 1850 to 1952, Alfred Nobel was traveling in Europe and America where he learned a lot and broadened his knowledge, and by the age of 16 Alfred Nobel was fluent in English, Germany, French, Swedish and Russian, which benefited in his future inventions.

His father Immanuel Nobel was also an inventor who invented a kind of household heating boiler system, designed a kind of machine making wooden wheel, design and manufactured a kind heavy-duty forging hammer and improved plant equipment. In 1853, in honor of Immanuel Nobel¡¯s great contribution to Russia, the Tsar Nicholas I conferred his honorable medal that never granted to a foreigner. Greatly influenced by his father and guided by his spirit of years¡¯ innovations and invention, Alfred Nobel followed his father on the way of scientific researches and inventions.

In October 1863, Alfred Nobel obtained his first patent on nitroglycerine (blasting oil) as an industrial explosive This invention was called later as ¡°Nobel detonator¡±. In 1865, Alfred Nobel & Co. Factory in Kr¨¹mmel near Hamburg was set up, representing the first factory worldwide producing less dangerous nitroglycerine (blasting oil) as an industrial explosive. During this period producing liquid nitroglycerine (blasting oil) as an industrial explosive, he continued on his experiments and repeated researches and eventually turned it a dough that can be kneaded; for this invention, Alfred Nobel obtained patent for dynamite in Sweden, British and the United States. In 1888, Alfred Nobel successfully invented smokeless dynamite for use of military gun shell, grenade and ammunition producing, also known later as "Nobel blasting powder". Nobel had made great successes and contributions not only in dynamite but also in electrochemistry, Chemistry, biology, Physiology and literature. Alfred Nobel had a great number of patent applications for his numerous inventions in his whole life, and only in British, his patent applications reached as many as 355.

Alfred Nobel was not only one of greatest inventors in the world but also a talented industrialist. His dynamite industry was scattered over European and American countries; besides, he successfully expanded his industry to oil field production with his large sum of gaining from patents, which made him a rapid millionaire. However, he was not greedy for money and property. He was generous to others and gave helps as much as he could to scientific research and development. He was always a simple person in life and lived in hardship, even he never spent his money to invite a painter to draw him a portrait; his portrait left was drawn after he passed away. According to his last will, his tomb was simply built; once he said: "the stomach of a person alive is my concern more than the monument and other honors of a person dead".

Alfred Nobel was cold to material gains and honor, and extremely honest. Once he stated why he was able to won so many honors in a letter: his medals did not come from his invention of dynamite. For example, Swedish government awarded his medal because of his talents in cooking; French government gave his medal because of his good relationship with one French minister; Brazil presented his medal because of becoming a friend of a Brazilian VIP by accident¡­ ¡­He also gave us a story in his autobiography in humorous words:
Alfred Nobel, his poor life was nearly ended in the hand of a kind-hearted doctor when he came to the earth.
Major merits: always keep his hand nail clean and nice-looking by own and never by others.
Major shortcomings: no family, low spirit, poor digestion.
Only wish: never being buried alive
Most evil: never warship Plutus.
Life achievements: none

This is Alfred Nobel, a person who boasted himself "no achievements" and always kept his nail clean and nice-looking, had created mass material and spiritual property and left us lofty ideology of hardworking, looking down up material gains and honors.

Alfred Nobel died of cardiac disease in San Remo, Italy on December 10, 1986 at the age of 63. On November 27, 1985, Alfred Nobel signed his last will to contribute his wealth to establish the foundation for Nobel prize and to award persons who make remarkable achievements in Physics , Chemistry, Physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. Based on the estimate on his wealth at that time, his wealth was about 33,000,000 Kr. (equal to USD9,200,000).