Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, inventor, engineer and philanthropist. He donated his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize.
Alfred Nobel Net Worth
Alfred Nobel’s net worth at the time of his death is around $300 million. In his lifetime, he issued over 350 patents internationally and established several weaponry factories. He is also known for inventing dynamite and other various kinds of explosives.
His vast fortune from his business and hundreds of patents was used to establish and create the fund for Nobel prizes after his death. It was in his last will to use his wealth for the foundation of the Nobel. He signed it in Paris on November 27, 1895. Moreover, it was specified that there should be five categories – physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace.
Personal Life
Alfred Nobel was born Alfred Bernhard Nobel on October 21, 1833, in Stockholm, Sweden. His parents are Immanuel Nobel, an inventor and engineer, and Karolina Andriette Nobel. He is the third of eight children. The family was very poor and only Alfred and his three brothers reached adulthood.
Even as a young child, he was very interested in explosives and he learned a lot from his father. In 1837, Nobel’s father moved to Saint Petersburg, Russia to manufacture explosives and other tools. The whole family soon relocated there in 1842. Immanuel Nobel also worked on veneer lathe and torpedo. Because of this successful business, the family became wealthy and were able to provide tutors for the boys. Alfred Nobel became fluent in Russian, English, French, and German.
In 1850, Alfred left Russia to study chemistry in Paris. He also spent some time in the United States. He came back in 1852 to work in his father’s factory which manufactured weapons used in the Crimean war. After the war, the company became bankrupt. His parents returned to Sweden.
Professional Career
In 1862, Alfred Nobel built a small factory to manufacture nitroglycerin. He studied how to control the newly discovered explosive. The following year, he created a detonator using a wooden plug inserted into a larger charge of nitroglycerin in a metal container which controlled its explosion. This detonator began his career as a reputable inventor.
Nobel also invented the blasting cap in 1865 which started the modern use of explosives. In 1867, he invented dynamite, which propelled him to worldwide prominence. He got a patent for it in the US and the UK.
Nobel was also responsible for introducing ballistite, the precursor of cordite. Aside from these, he also created artificial silk and leather.
With his inventions, he established factories and corporations which became a business empire.Throughout his career, he had over 350 patents. Before his death, it was stated in his will to use his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize. He died on December 10, 1896, in San Remo, Italy.
The Relationships of Alfred Nobel
Alfred Nobel remained unmarried but he had three known relationships. The first one was with a girl from Russia named Alexandra who rejected his proposal. He also got involved with his secretary in 1876, Austro-Bohemian Countess Bertha Kinsky, who left him to marry another man. Lastly, with Sofija Hess, a woman he was with for 18 years.
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