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Chanhee Jeon's List: Game Changer Project - Alfred Nobel

  • May 30, 12

    He was a Swedish chemist. (1833~1896)

    He invented dynamite and other explosives, but he is best remembered for the Nobel Prizes, which he endowed with the bulk of his personal fortune.

    His life.

    • He was born in Oct. 21, 1833, in Stockholm.

    • His father, impecunious in the Sweden of the 1839s, was more fortunate in Russia and by 1842 had established himself in a St.Petersburg engineering and armaments concern.

    • In 1850, he traveled Western Europe and US for two years

    o The Crimean war ends his journey.

    • Nobel remained in Russia when his father returned to

    • Stockholm in 1858.

    • And he developed the chemical called nitroglycerin, which is used for gunpowders.

    o The problem for this chemical was that this is so explosive, so it was quite hard to handle this chemical’s danger.

    o However, Alfred Noel spilled in porous solids, including kieselguhr.

    • This material reduced the blasting efficiency by a quarter, but this became much safer than before.

    • This bomb is called dynamites.

    • Patented in 1867,

    • From 1865 to 1873 Nobel lived in Hamburg and then in Paris until 1891, when the Italian military adoption of ballistae made him unpopular there.

    • Nobel’s will directed that the bulk of his estate, above 33 million kronor, should endow annual prizes for those who, in the preceding year, had most benefited mankind in five specified subjects

    o Physics

    o Chemistry

    o Medicine

    o Literature

    o Peace

    o A Nobel prize is one of the highest honors that an individual can receive.

    Byers, Paula K. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Print.

  • Jun 03, 12

    Childhood and Family

    • Born in October 21st, 1833

    • His from Stockholm, Sweden

    • At first, he was a weak baby who had to struggle to live.

    • The household was poor.

    o His house was burned down in 1832.

    o His two older brothers, Robert and Ludvig had to sell matches on the street to earn money to buy food.

    • But he was born in technically minded family, that’s the most important factor that made Nobel a successful scientist.

    • Family History

    o Olof Rudbeck

    • 1630 ~ 1702

    • Alfred Nobel’s great-great-great grandfather

    • Discovered how a part of a human body called the lymphatic system works.

    • Wrote a book – Atlantica

    • His father’s bankruptcy made poor environment for Nobel to learn something.

    • Despite the Bankruptcy, he learned lots of things quickly.

    • Life in St.Petersburg

    o In 1842, Nobel sails to St.Petersburg

    Alfred Nobel left St.Petersburg for summer of 1850

    • Heard about Nitroglycerin in Paris.

    His girlfriend died in Paris(Tuberculosis) → Never married again & no children to bequeath his money.

    To US – Met John Ericson

    • Went to US as Sweden did not provide lots of experiences for engineers.

    • Made an engine that works with steam.

    • Worked in ships, improving the design of propeller.

    Back to St. Petersburg

    • Went to father’s business.

    • Crimean war begin in 1853. & Nobel family manufactured lots of things.

    o Rapid firing rifles

    o Sea mines

    Bankruptcy again in 1856.

    Background knowledge – Crimean war.

    • In 1850, Turkey controlled much of middle East.

    • Russia was having bad relationship with France.

    • Turkey sided for GB and France

    • Enraged, Russia attacks Turkey

    • Ends up with Treaty of Paris.

    Early Nitroglycerin

    • There was lots of problems in gunpowder

    o Weak and cause lots of smokes

    • Invention of guncotton by Prof.C.F.Schonbein in Basle, Switzerland developed the science a lot.

    • Prof.Ascanio Sobrero discovered nitroglycerin in Turin, Italy.

    o Powerful, but hard to handle.

    • Caused lots of accidents

    • Nobel’s brother, Emil died.

    • By mixing in a stone called Kieseguhr, made this explosive to be safer.

    His death

    • In 1887, He was almost dying of Tuberculosis

    • He hated war, didn’t want dynamites to be used in war.

    • For atonement of his invention, he lives a will to make a “Nobel foundation” and places a executor, Ragnar Sohlman.

    Binns, Tristan Boyer. Alfred Nobel: Inventive Thinker. Danbury, CT: Franklin Watts, 2004. Print.

  • May 30, 12

    sks.sirs.com/...hst-article-display

    • From his youth Alfred Nobel was seriously interested in literature and pacifism. He was well informed about world events of the time, ideas and philosophy. He was also well read, particularly in French and English literature. The politically radical and pacifist writings of Percy B. Shelley (1792-1822) in many respects reflected his own thinking. In a letter to a Belgian pacifist, he described his dream of a world at peace in terms of classical allegories. He continued: "The more I hear of the thunder of the cannon, the more blood I see shed, plundering being legalized and the gun sanctioned, the more alive and intensive becomes this dream of mine." At the same time he wrote to an English friend, a clergyman, that he harboured "a serious wish to see a rose-red peace grow up in this explosive world."(3) Alfred Nobel abhorred violence and conflict.
    •   The methods for the use of dynamite developed by Alfred Nobel were for civilian purposes and made possible enormous projects such as the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal, or the railroad passage through the Swiss Alps (Gotthard Tunnel). However, according to hearsay the Germans used dynamite in the war of 1870 against France.

  • Jun 03, 12

    http://movers-and-shakers.wikispaces.com/Alferd+Nobel

    Found the structure of dynamites here.

  • Jun 03, 12

    http://m.eb.com/assembly/18045

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