Alfred Bernhard Nobel

Nobel, Alfred Bernhard (1833–96), Swedish chemist and inventor of dynamite and other explosives. About 1863 he set up a factory to manufacture liquid nitroglycerin, but the factory exploded in an accident killing his younger brother. Nobel then set out to find safe handling methods for the substance. In 1867 he developed dynamite, a combination of nitroglycerin and inert, stabilizing filler. Later he invented gelignite (1876) and ballistite (1888). A lifelong pacifist, Nobel wished his explosives to be used solely for peaceful purposes and was embittered by their military use. He left most of his fortune to the Nobel Foundation, which has used the money to reward Nobel Prize winners since 1901.

See also: Dynamite.