Alfred Nobel’s life and work

kieselguhr
would turn the liquid into paste which could 
be shaped into rods. These rods could then be inserted into drilling 
holes. The invention was made in 1866. Alfred got a patent or legal right 
of ownership on this material the next year. He named it “dynamite.” He 
also invented a detonator or blasting cap which could be set off by 
lighting a fuse. 
These inventions were made at a time when the diamond drilling crown 
and 
pneumatic drill
 came into general use. Together, these inventions 
helped reduce the cost of many construction work like drilling tunnels, 
blasting rocks, building bridges, etc. 
Factories in different places 
Dynamite and detonating caps were much in demand in the construction 
industry. Because of this, Alfred was able to put up factories in 90 
different places. He lived in Paris but often traveled to his factories in 
more than 20 countries. He was once described as “Europe’s richest 
vagabond.” He worked intensively in Stockholm (Sweden), Hamburg 
(Germany), Ardeer (Scotland), Paris and Sevran (France), Karlskoga 
(Sweden) and San Remo (Italy). He also experimented in making 
synthetic rubber and leather and artificial silk. By the time of his death 
in 1896 he had 355 patents. 

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Alfred invents “dynamite”
Alfred found, through his experiments, that mixing nitroglycerine with a 
fine sand called 
kieselguhr
would turn the liquid into paste which could 
be shaped into rods. These rods could then be inserted into drilling 
holes. The invention was made in 1866. Alfred got a patent or legal right 
of ownership on this material the next year. He named it “dynamite.” He 
also invented a detonator or blasting cap which could be set off by 
lighting a fuse. 
These inventions were made at a time when the diamond drilling crown 
and 
pneumatic drill
 came into general use. Together, these inventions 
helped reduce the cost of many construction work like drilling tunnels, 
blasting rocks, building bridges, etc. 
Factories in different places 
Dynamite and detonating caps were much in demand in the construction 
industry. Because of this, Alfred was able to put up factories in 90 
different places. He lived in Paris but often traveled to his factories in 
more than 20 countries. He was once described as “Europe’s richest 
vagabond.” He worked intensively in Stockholm (Sweden), Hamburg 
(Germany), Ardeer (Scotland), Paris and Sevran (France), Karlskoga 
(Sweden) and San Remo (Italy). He also experimented in making 
synthetic rubber and leather and artificial silk. By the time of his death 
in 1896 he had 355 patents. 
Alfred died in San Remo, Italy on December 10, 1896. In his last will 
and testament, he wrote that much of his fortune was to be used to give 
prizes to those who have done their best for humanity in the field of 
physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace. 
Not everybody was pleased with this. His will was opposed by his 
relatives and questioned by authorities in various countries. It took four 
years for his executors to convince all parties to follow Alfred’s wishes. 
In 1901, the first Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or 
Medicine and Literature were first awarded in Stockholm, Sweden and 
the Peace Prize in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway