The
Nobel Prize is an international award given yearly since 1901 for
outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature
and for peace. In 1968, the Bank of Sweden instituted the Prize in
Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel
Prize.
Alfred B. Nobel, the Swedish chemist and engineer who invented dynamite,
left $9 million in his will to establish the Nobel Prizes. At first
glance, it seems odd that the inventor of a powerful explosive would
endow a group of awards that includes a peace prize. But Nobel was
an industrialist with a conscience. He is credited with creating a
controllable combustible that made blasting rock and the construction
of canals and tunnels a relatively safe process. Nobel also contributed
to the inventions of synthetic rubber, artificial silk, and synthetic
leather. He held more than 350 patents. His interests were not limited
to science. In fact, he was a lo ver of English literature and poetry
and wrote several novels and poems. At his death, he left a library
of more than 1,500 books, from fiction to philosophy.
Prizes
have been awarded annually since 1901 for achievements in:
- Physics
(decided by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)
- Chemistry
(decided by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)
- Physiology
or Medicine (decided by the Karolinska/Royal Caroline Medical
Institute)
- Literature
(decided by the Swedish Academy)
- Peace
(decided by a committee appointed by the Norwegian Storting or
Parliament)
|
| 2005
Winners |
| The
Nobel Prize in Physics - Roy J. Glauber "John L. Hall "Theodor
W. Hänsch " |
| The
Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Yves Chauvin "Robert H. Grubbs
"Richard R. Schrock " |
| The
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Barry J. Marshall "J.
Robin Warren " |
| The
Nobel Prize in Literature - Harold Pinter " |
| The
Nobel Peace Prize - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
"Mohamed ElBaradei " |
|
| Each
prize consists of a gold medal, a sum of money, and a diploma with
the citation of award. The amount of money available for each prize
varies from year to year and depends on the income earned on the Nobel
Foundation fund. |
Did
you know
- Because
of World War II, no awards were given from 1940-1942.
- In
1937, Hitler issued a decree that forbade Germans from accepting
Nobel Prizes.
- In
1973 Le Duc Tho refused the Nobel Peace Prize as he did not believe
peace had been reached in Vietnam.
- The
awards are made on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death,
the Peace Prize being presented in Oslo and the others in Stockholm.
- Since
1902, the King of Sweden has formally awarded all the prizes,
except the Nobel Peace Prize, in Stockholm.
- The
Nobel Peace Prize is given in Oslo, Norway, by the Norwegian Nobel
Committee.
- Only
living persons may be nominated for the Nobel Prize.
- The
Nobel Prize nominees are not publicly announced and they are not
supposed to be told that they were ever considered for the prize.
The records are sealed for 50 years. This is done to avoid turning
the awarding of the prize into a popularity contest.
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