Alfred Nobel and the invention of dynamite (Альфред Нобель и изобретение динамита)

ALFRED NOBEL AND THE INVENTION OF DYNAMITE

Swedish industrialist, an engineer and inventor, Alfred Nobel was born into a family of engineers on 21 October 1833, in Stockholm, Sweden. His father was Immanuel Nobel, an engineer and inventor who built bridges and buildings in Stockholm. After bankruptcy, Immanuel left his family in Stockholm in 1837 and started up a new business in St Petersburg, Russia. His business was to manufacture submarine mines and torpedoes that he had designed for the Russian government. In 1842, when Alfred was nine, the rest of the family also moved to Russia. St Petersburg, at that time, was a world metropolis that imprinted on young Nobel love of scientific, social and cultural discovery.

Alfred Nobel was given the first-class private education that focused on both the humanities and the sciences. Alfred was a good student, and by the age of 16 had become a competent chemist and was able to speak five languages fluently. His father sent him to the United States for further education; during this period Alfred also visited Paris and got in contact with nitroglycerin for the first time. Nitroglycerin is explosive liquid which was first made by an Italian scientist Ascanio Sobrero in 1847. In 1852, Alfred went back to Russia to work with his father as the Russian Navy had placed big orders for the Crimean War (1853—1856). After the end of the war Immanuel Nobel experienced another bankruptcy and moved back to Stockholm with his family.

In Stockholm, Alfred, his father and Alfred's younger brother Emil opened a laboratory in 1859 where they started to do experiments with the explosive liquid nitroglycerin. Alfred saw that the advantages of nitroglycerin could be used in a commercial and technical way. Over the years they had several explosions in the laboratory; a big one in 1864 killed the younger brother Emil and several other people. The city of Stockholm made laws that experiments with explosives could not be made within the city limits of Stockholm.

This did not stop Alfred; he moved his laboratory out of the city and continued his work. By that time Alfred had realized that he had to find a safe way to transport the explosive as well as a method to control the detonation of nitroglycerin. In 1866, he successfully mixed nitroglycerin with silica which turned the liquid into paste. This paste could be formed and shaped as necessary, and this made it possible for safe transportation. The new material was patented in 1867 under the name "dynamite". He also invented a blasting cap (detonator), which could be ignited by lighting a fuse. The market for dynamite and blasting caps grew very rapidly and over the years Alfred founded factories in over 20 countries.

Alfred Nobel thought that the invention of dynamite could end all wars. But he saw that his invention was used as an extremely deadly product. In 1888, when Alfred's brother Ludvig died, a French newspaper mistakenly published an article under the headline "The Merchant of Death Is Dead". Alfred did not want to remain in history with such a horrible epitaph, and he created a will that soon shocked his relatives and established the now famous Nobel Prizes.

It should be noted that, besides dynamite, Alfred invented synthetic rubber and leather and artificial silk. He was constantly involved in hard work and did not have much time for private life. Besides his interest in his business, Alfred was very interested in social and peace-related problems. He also had a great interest in literature and poetry and even wrote some of his own works. Though Alfred became famous for his invention of dynamite, many people did not intimately know Alfred Nobel. He was a quiet man who did not like a lot of pretense or show. He had very few friends and never married. He died in San Remo (Italy) on 10 December 1896.

According to his will his fortune was to be used to establish a foundation that awarded a yearly Nobel Prize to people whose work helped humanity. On the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, 10 December 1901, the first Nobel Prizes were awarded. Now the Nobel Prize is awarded in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology and Medicine, Literature, Economics, and Peace. The Nobel Prize ceremony is held in Stockholm on 10 December each year. The ceremony for the Nobel Prize for Peace is held in Oslo, Norway.

                 АЛЬФРЕД НОБЕЛЬ И ИЗОБРЕТЕНИЕ ДИНАМИТА

Шведский промышленник, инженер и изобретатель Альфред Нобель родился в семье инженеров 21 октября 1833 года в Стокгольме, Швеция. Его отцом был Иммануил Нобель, инженер и изобретатель, который строил мосты и здания в Стокгольме. После банкротства в 1837 году Эммануил оставил семью в Стокгольме и открыл новый бизнес в Санкт-Петербурге. Его делом было производство подводных мин и торпед, которые он разработал для российской власти. В 1842 году, когда Альфреду было девять лет, остальная семья тоже переехала в Россию. Санкт-Петербург в то время был мировым мегаполисом, запечатлевшим в молодом Нобеле любовь к научным, социальным и культурным открытиям.

Альфред Нобель получил первоклассное частное образование, которое было сосредоточено как на гуманитарных, так и на естественных науках. Альфред был хорошим студентом, и к 16 годам он стал компетентным химиком и мог свободно говорить на пяти языках. Его отец послал его в Соединенные Штаты для дальнейшего образования; в это время Альфред также посетил Париж и получил в контакте с нитроглицерином в первый раз. Нитроглицерин взрывно жидкость которая сперва была сделана итальянским ученым Ascanio Sobrero в 1847. В 1852 году Альфред вернулся в Россию, чтобы работать со своим отцом, так как русский флот размещал большие заказы на Крымскую войну (1853-1856). После окончания войны Эммануил Нобель пережил очередное банкротство и вместе с семьей вернулся в Стокгольм.