Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) was Swedish but lived in Russia, France, the U.S. and Italy.
He held 356 patents, the most importance of which were dynamite and other patents related to
explosives. He is said to have been so bothered by how his inventions made war more horrible
that he set up the Nobel Prizes. It is not clear if he felt guilty.
He was greatly influenced by a German woman and peace advocate, Bertha von Suttner
(1843-1914). They were close friends. Nobel wrote her: “Perhaps my factories will put an end to
war even sooner than your peace congresses. On the day when two armies will be able to
annihilate each other, all civilized nations will recoil with horror and disband their troops on
knowing that total devastation will be in store for them if they engage themselves in war.”
He died in 1895 and in his will gave most of his very large fortune to establish the Nobel
Prizes. His family contested the will, and the first Prize was not awarded till 1901. The part of his
will about the Peace Prize reads: “…to the person who has done the most or best to advance
fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment
and promotion of peace congresses.”
[The link below describes Nobel, and includes his will].
https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/alfred-nobel
