The First Nobel Prizes | 第一届诺贝尔 颁奖典礼

by Nadia Chung

Fame and fortune came to Alfred Nobel, a 19th-century Swedish chemist, when he invented dynamite, a highly explosive mixture that was safer to handle and use than gunpowder. Nobel acknowledged the destructive potential of dynamite, yet he believed it would pave the way for world peace. However, the invention he had hoped would end all wars came to be used as a lethal weapon by people with different intentions from his own.

In 1888, French newspapers mistook the death of Nobel's brother for Alfred's. One obituary printed, "The merchant of death is dead." As a pacifist, Alfred Nobel sorely regretted the use and impact of his inventions in war. About a year before his lonely death in Italy on December 10, 1896, Nobel had drawn up a will establishing the now famous Nobel Prize. The will stipulated that the largest part of his estate be used to set up a foundation that would award prizes annually to those who "have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind" in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. This shocked relatives who were expecting a share of his legacy, and many wanted to contest the document. But on December 10, 1901, the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, the first set of Nobel Prizes was finally awarded. Journalists now introduce the Nobel laureates and their contributions to the world every October, with the awards ceremony being held on December 10.

阿尔弗雷德‧诺贝尔是 19 世纪瑞典的化学家，他因为发明炸药（一种比火药在操作上和使用上更为安全的高爆炸性混和物）而名利双收。诺贝尔承认炸药具有毁灭性，但他相信这东西可以为世界带来和平。然而事与愿违，他的发明被人拿来当成致命的武器，这跟他的本意相去甚远。

1888 年，法国的报纸把诺贝尔的兄弟死讯误认为是他本人。有一则讣闻这么写道：『死亡贩卖者已身亡。』身为和平主义者，阿尔弗雷德‧诺贝尔很遗憾他的发明被用于战争，以及对战争所带来的影响。1896 年 12 月 10 日他孤独地在意大利去世，他在死前一年拟定遗嘱，设立了现在众所皆知的诺贝尔奖。遗嘱规定他大部分的财产要用来成立基金会，用来每年颁奖给在物理界、化学界、医学界、文学界以及和平领域中『对人类有重大贡献』的人。这让认为自己有望分得一分遗产的亲戚甚为震惊，有许多亲戚想要对这份文件提出抗辩。但 1901 年 12 月 10 日诺贝尔逝世 5 周年之际，第一届诺贝尔奖终于颁发。每年 10 月的时候，新闻记者向全世界介绍诺贝尔奖的各项得主，以及他们对世界的贡献，而颁奖典礼则于每年的 12 月 10 日举行。