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Dynamite
Alfred Nobel was born in October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden.
At the age of nine he moved with his family to Russia. He
was educated there, where he became fluent in five languages
-- Swedish, Russian, French, English and German. He also developed
a passion for poetry and literature.
His father, Immanuel, was an engineer who encouraged his
four sons in mechanical fields. He was himself a successful
inventor, having experimented with various methods of using
explosives to aid in construction. From 1850-1852, he sent
Alfred to the United States and to Paris for further education,
and in Paris Alfred was first introduced to nitroglycerin,
a volatile, explosive liquid first made by an Italian scientist
in 1847. When he returned to Russia he continued working with
his father, who was very busy supplying explosives to the
Russian Navy during the Crimean War (1853-1856). Alfred began
experimenting with nitroglycerin in his father's factory,
looking for ways to stabilize the substance.
Alfred, his brother Emil, and his father started a laboratory
in Stockholm in 1859 to experiment with nitroglycerin. The
three moved back to Sweden in 1863, while Alfred's other two
brothers remained in Russia where they would become very successful
in the oil industry. Meanwhile in 1864, an explosion at the
Nobels' lab killed Emil and several other people, and new
laws were imposed to prohibit experiments with explosives
within Stockholm city limits. Despite the tragedy, Alfred
persevered, and in 1866 discovered that nitroglycerin mixed
with a powder called kieselguhr produced the desired effect
– a hardened form of the explosive that could be easily
inserted into holes for blasting rock and concrete. He named
the mixture dynamite, and received a patent in 1867.
Alfred established factories around the world to make dynamite
and other explosives, serving mainly construction and mining
companies as well as the military. He also continued research
in chemistry, and his discoveries aided in the development
of synthetic leather, silk, rubber and other materials. His
enterprise was very successful; he quickly became a very rich
man.
Nobel died in San Remo, Italy, on December 10, 1896, and
in his will he laid out plans for a $9 million portion of
his fortune to be used to award prizes in physics, medicine,
chemistry, literature and peace. The executors of his will
formed the Nobel Foundation to carry out his wishes. The statutes
of the foundation were officially adopted on June 29, 1900,
with the first prize awarded in 1901.
[October 2003]
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