History of Alfred Nobel in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: October 10, 2025

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, inventor, engineer, and businessman, most famous for inventing dynamite. He accumulated a significant fortune through his inventions and business ventures. Nobel is primarily remembered for establishing the Nobel Prizes through his will, using his wealth to reward outstanding achievements in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. He held 355 patents, demonstrating his prolific inventive capacity and diverse scientific interests.

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Full Timeline

1901: Inauguration of Nobel Peace Prize

Since the inauguration of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, the public artwork Nobel Metamorphoses critically contrasts war death statistics to peace prize recipients.

1905: Bertha von Suttner Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

In 1905, Bertha von Suttner, who briefly worked as Alfred Nobel's secretary and corresponded with him until his death, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for her sincere peace activities".

1930: Nathan Söderblom Received Nobel Peace Prize

In 1930, Nathan Söderblom, the pastor who led the Church of Sweden Abroad that Alfred Nobel regularly attended during his years living in Paris, received the Nobel Peace Prize.

1931: Birth of Peter Nobel

In 1931, Alfred Nobel's great-great-nephew, Peter Nobel was born. In 2001, he requested the Bank of Sweden to differentiate its award to economists.

1968: Sveriges Riksbank Donates to Nobel Foundation

In 1968, Sweden's central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, celebrated its 300th anniversary by donating a large sum of money to the Nobel Foundation to be used to set up a sixth prize in the field of economics in honor of Alfred Nobel.

1984: Creation of Nobel Metamorphoses Artwork

In 1984, the public artwork Nobel Metamorphoses was created in Troisdorf, Germany, critically contrasting war death statistics to peace prize recipients since the latter's inauguration.

1989: Initiation of the Monument to Alfred Nobel creation

In 1989, Diplomat Thomas Bertelman and Professor Arkady Melua initiated the creation of the Monument to Alfred Nobel in Saint Petersburg and provided funds for its establishment.

1991: Dedication of the Monument to Alfred Nobel in Saint Petersburg

In 1991, the Monument to Alfred Nobel in Saint Petersburg was dedicated to mark the 90th anniversary of the first Nobel Prize presentation. The monument is located along the Bolshaya Nevka River on Petrogradskaya Embankment.

2001: Peter Nobel requests differentiation of Economics Prize

In 2001, Alfred Nobel's great-great-nephew, Peter Nobel, requested the Bank of Sweden to differentiate its award to economists given "in Alfred Nobel's memory" from the five other awards, contributing to the controversy over its legitimacy.