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 For
over a century, the Nobel Peace Prize
has been thought of as the highest honor
that can be bestowed upon a person who
has dedicated their life to creating a
more peaceful, just and sustainable world.
Ironically, the Prize and the large cash
award that comes with it, were made possible
because of Alfred Nobel's invention of
the deadly explosives, dynamite and ballistite
in the mid-1800s. The Swedish inventor
and munitions manufacturer's explosives
earned him a large fortune during his
lifetime, but Alfred Nobel had no family
to inherit his wealth. When he died on
December 10, 1896, his will called for
the establishment of an annual Nobel Prize
to be awarded each year to those who have
contributed the most to the common good
in several fields, which now include Chemistry,
Economics, Literature, Medicine, Physics
and Peace. Nobel's decision to include
'peace' as one of the categories may have
stemmed from his regret about the destructive
source of his great wealth, but it was
also greatly influenced by his friendship
with the Baroness Bertha von Suttner,
a noted peace activist of the time. The
first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in
1901 to Henri Dunant, the founder of the
International Red Cross and one of the
major influences behind the Geneva Convention,
one of the first international laws on
the humanitarian treatment of soldiers
and civilians during times of war. Each
year, the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded
on the anniversary of Nobel's death in
Oslo, Norway, and it continues to represent
one of the highest and most noble goals
- the creation of a world at peace.
nobelprize.org
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