science · 12 April 1888 · 136 years ago
In 1888, a French newspaper mistakenly published an obituary for Albert Nobel, inventor of dynamite, calling him “"a merchant of death.” The mistake was that it was actually Albert's brother, Ludwig Nobel, who had just died (at age 56, due to heart trouble). However, shocked by the newspaper's report, Albert Nobel began to seek a change in public opinion, which led to his decision to establish the Nobel Prizes.
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