The name of Alfred Nobel is closely identified with the peace prizes which are awarded through an endowment he established on this date. Ironically, the name is also associated with explosives for use in war, including dynamite which he invented.
Alfred’s interest in explosives is something he came by naturally. In this Swedish family, his father, Immanuel Nobel, was an engineer and inventor who built bridges and buildings. To aid his construction work, the elder Nobel experimented with techniques for blasting rocks. Later, he developed underwater mines for use by navies and weapons for armies.
By age 17, Alfred was fluent in five languages and had a strong interest in English literature and poetry along with chemistry and physics. Immanuel discouraged the boy’s study of literature and sent him abroad to study chemical engineering. In Paris, Alfred met the young Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero, who had invented the highly explosive liquid, nitroglycerine.
With his father, Alfred experimented with developing nitroglycerine as a commercially and technically useful explosive. Despite explosions which killed several people---including his brother Emil---Alfred continued developing nitroglycerine into a safer, more manageable form.
He found that, by mixing nitroglycerine with silica, he could turn the liquid into a paste which could be shaped into rods to insert in drilling holes. He patented this material as dynamite, which could be ignited with a fuse. Initially used in construction work, dynamite was bought by governments for use in war.
By selling explosives, Alfred Nobel amassed a fortune. In 1895, on this date, November 27, about a year before his death, he drew up his will, leaving most of his wealth to used as awards for excellence in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature (despite his father’s earlier objections), and efforts to establish peace among nations.
Because Nobel had invested years of energy and much of his money in developing weapons of mass destruction, news of the peace prize created a sensation.
Albert Einstein, who later played a role in developing the atomic bomb, said that after Nobel saw the destructive potential in the use of his invention of dynamite, he sought “to atone for this 'accomplishment' and to relieve his conscience” by instituting the peace prize. But Nobel himself gave no indication of this motive. Einstein’s statement may have been a reflection of his own feelings rather than Nobel’s.
Whatever Nobel’s motivation, in this season of Thanksgiving, we give thanks for this continuing legacy which encourages and rewards excellence in the various fields, especially efforts for peace among nations. We are also thankful for all who wage peace, person-to-person and on the national and world scene.
(On December 10, we will look at a few of the Peace Prize winners.)
A Verse for Today
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
No comments:
Post a Comment