Message about the Nobel Prize. When was the Nobel Prize established?

I have always believed that a good trip always leads to a trail of new interests: either in music, or in sights, or in personalities. This happened on my Scandinavian trip. Of course, I knew the name of Alfred Nobel before. But in Stockholm, a wonderful guide was able to present the story of the scientist and businessman Nobel with fascinating details previously unknown to me. And now I will try to present it to you, I’m sure it will be interesting.

History of the Nobel Prize

Everyone knows that one of the most prestigious and coveted prizes in the world is the Nobel Prize. It is awarded to scientists and public figures for the most significant, sometimes revolutionary, scientific discoveries or achievements in the development of human society. Everyone also knows that the name of this prize comes from the name of the person who founded it: Alfred Nobel. But how could such an idea be born in the head of an ordinary mortal? Did he really not want to follow the traditional path: spend his fortune for his own pleasure during his life and provide for all his loved ones after death? Well, as it turned out, he didn’t want to. In his life, surprisingly, all these components - entertainment, pleasure, close people - everything turned out as if he was destined from above to dispose of his acquired capital in the only possible way.

Alfred Nobel was not in very good health and was prone to gloomy moods and unusual fears. All his life he was haunted by the fear of being buried alive. To avoid a similar fate, he even made special instructions in his will for the family doctor. Nobel did not enjoy much favor with women; from his youth and throughout his life, only unhappy love stories happened to him. As a consequence: Swedish citizen Alfred Nobel had many relatives, but never had his own family and children.

Such an unsettled personal life clearly benefited research and entrepreneurial activities. Nobel was a well-educated, erudite man with a broad outlook and diverse interests. He knew several languages ​​and was fond of literature and theater. But what was his main calling: natural sciences and invention. During his life he made 355 inventions, the main one being dynamite. Not only that: he was able to implement all these inventions into real projects and earn a fortune from this, which made him one of richest people Europe, if not the world! It would seem: what a success! But even here Alfred Nobel was faced with very sophisticated pitfalls of failure.

By conviction he is a pacifist. But ironically, he participates in the family business of producing weapons. And during tests with his newly invented substance dynamite, an explosion occurs and several people die, including him sibling. He is afraid that lethargy will overtake him and he will be buried alive. Imagine that Nobel had to survive his own imaginary death! Reporters mistakenly reported his death and published an obituary. Perhaps this was the decisive moment in the establishment of the future Nobel Prize. Because in this lifetime obituary the businessman is called nothing less than “dealer of explosive death” and “millionaire on blood.” You can be surprised as much as you like: how did a person with completely peaceful aspirations in life manage to get into such a business?!!! But one way or another, Alfred Nobel was made clear with this premature obituary what his descendants would think of him. And he clearly didn’t want to leave such a mark behind. This is probably how the idea of ​​using his huge fortune for the maximum benefit for humanity arose. This is the approximate history of the emergence of a significant phenomenon - the Nobel Prize.

Where are the Nobel Prizes awarded?

Alfred Nobel clearly stated in his will: the nationality and race of applicants does not matter. Therefore, the Nobel Committee selects laureates around the world. But the award ceremony always takes place in Scandinavia, in two capitals: Stockholm and Oslo. In the Norwegian capital, only the prize is awarded in the “protection of peace” category. Four other categories: achievements in the field of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics are celebrated in Stockholm. The annual celebrations of the Nobel Prize are held in the city halls of both capitals.

View of Oslo from the Town Hall window

The word “celebration” is used here without any stretch, in the most literal sense. The awards ceremony follows a protocol that is followed with incredible care. Every year on December 10, almost one and a half thousand guests gather at Stockholm City Hall. The dress code is strictly observed: only evening dresses and tailcoats. The royal couple of Sweden opens the gala evening. The most famous musicians in the world are invited to provide musical accompaniment. But the main event of the evening (except, of course, the presentation of the prize itself, as such! :) is the famous Nobel banquet.

A guide from Stockholm told us that she knew a man who had been serving as the chef at this event for several years. So, in his life there are no more than 3 relatively calm months a year. And from April until December 10, all his thoughts and activities were devoted only to the upcoming banquet. A huge amount of preparation and work is carried out: starting with control over the production of the necessary products and ending with the preparation of a menu taking into account the individual characteristics (for example: vegetarianism) of each invitee. Dishes must be served at the table at the same time for all dinner participants. Therefore, not only cooks, but also waiters are subject to the toughest casting. Their upcoming actions at the banquet are rehearsed and timed down to the second. The responsibility and psychological burden are so great that there have been cases when these same waiters fainted while performing their duties!

The guide told us a funny tidbit about the history of the Nobel Prize banquets. The fact is that the banquet has a very strongly ceremonial and solemn character. Thus, the first toast is proclaimed to the health of the king, the second is dedicated to the memory of Alfred Nobel. All food is prepared with the utmost care and skill, but... it is not really designed to completely satisfy the appetite :). And the full procedure for presenting the Nobel Prize is a long event, including, in addition to the banquet, speeches and dancing! And it turns out that the gentlemen-participants leave the Nobel banquet almost half-starved. Therefore, early passers-by in Stockholm on the morning of December 11th sometimes see the following picture: ladies in mink coats and gentlemen in tails are gorging on cheap food at the station McDonald's :). I don’t know: isn’t this a joke? But it looks funny and harmless: Nobel Prize winners are people too!

1. THE PRIZE WAS BORN TO DRIVE EYES AWAY FROM NOBEL’S DISCOVERIES

The creator of the prize, Alfred Nobel, was an avid pacifist, which did not stop him from amassing an impressive capital from the arms trade and the invention of dynamite. He believed that the very presence of dangerous weapons should intimidate the enemy, preventing wars, terrorist attacks and bloodshed. The epiphany was painful. When the newspapers ahead of schedule Alfred Nobel was buried, confusing him with his brother Ludwig, who died in St. Petersburg, he was greatly surprised by the morning headlines: “Death Merchant”, “Bloody Rich Man”, “Dynamite King”. In order not to go down in history as a millionaire on blood, Alfred Nobel immediately called a lawyer and rewrote his will, which stated that after death, all multimillion-dollar property should be placed in a reliable bank and entrusted to a foundation that would divide the income from investments into five equal parts and award them annually as a bonus . The idea was a success: now few people remember who invented dynamite, but even a child knows about the Nobel Prize.

2. ECONOMY WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE LIST OF PRIZES

Initially, the prize was awarded in five categories: chemistry, physics, medicine, literature and achievements in peacekeeping. Later, in 1969, the Swedish Bank also added an economics bonus to this list. Since the field of economics was not listed in the will, it is awarded not from the Nobel fund, but from the Swedish Bank fund, but at the Nobel Prize ceremony. Nobel's descendants do not support adding an economic field to the prize. “Firstly,” they say, “the whole meaning of the prize is destroyed. If it is named after Nobel, then it should be awarded only in those areas that Nobel himself listed in his will. Secondly, Nobel simply did not like economists and bypassed their attention in the will is not accidental."

3. PREMIUM IS DROPPING IN PRICE

In terms of current exchange rates, when converting Nobel's movable and immovable property into cash equivalent, the fund received about $250 million. Part of the capital was immediately invested in securities, and prizes were awarded to the laureates from the profits. IN present moment The fund's wealth is $3 billion. Despite the growth of the capital of the Nobel Prize fund, in 2012 it was decided to cut it by 20% (from 1.4 million to 1.1 million dollars). Such a move, according to the directors of the fund, will help create a reliable financial cushion and ensure a high monetary level of the bonus for many years.

4. UNUSUAL WINNERS AND NOMINEES

The prize was very rarely awarded to anyone a second time. In all the years of its existence, this happened only 4 times. Federic Segner received both prizes in chemistry, John Bardeen - in physics, Linus Pauling - in chemistry and the Peace Prize. The only woman to receive two Nobel Prizes was Marie Skłodowska-Curie.

Maria Skłodowska-Curie

Stanley Williams, leader of the Crips gang, was nominated for the Nobel Prize 9 times: as a writer and as a humanitarian. Initially, the Crips group opposed police lawlessness on the streets of Los Angeles, but when it grew, it was responsible for several police deaths and, for some reason, a bank robbery. Stanley Williams was arrested and sentenced to death. The books that Stanley wrote while in prison became bestsellers, and he even received a US Presidential Award. This still did not pity the heart of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in 2005 the leader of the Crips gang was executed.

5. PRIZE IN MATHEMATICS

Many people know that the Nobel Prize is not awarded in the field of mathematics. Many are also sure that the reason for this is Nobel’s beloved, who went to see the mathematician. Indeed, in the will, mathematics was initially included in the list of fields in which the prize was awarded, but was later crossed out by Nobel himself. In fact, there is no evidence of a romantic story associated with Nobel's refusal to give a prize to mathematicians. It is more likely that the main contender for the prize in mathematics before Nobel's death was Mittag-Leffler, whom the founder of the prize had long disliked for his annoying solicitation of donations for Stockholm University. Deciding to be true to himself and not give Mittag-Leffler money, Nobel crossed mathematics off the list and replaced it with the Peace Prize.

6. BANQUET AFTER THE PRIZES

The banquet is held immediately after the awards ceremony in the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall. The chefs from the town hall restaurant and the best chefs, who were awarded the title “Chef of the Year” in the year of the award, are involved in preparing the festive dinner. Three months before the banquet, members of the Nobel Committee taste three types of menu and decide which one is worthy of being treated to guests at the banquet. Ice cream is traditionally served for dessert, but its type is kept a closely guarded secret until the evening of the ceremony.

The hall is decorated with more than 20,000 flowers from San Remo, and the movements of the waiters are rehearsed down to the second. Exactly at 7 pm, the guests of honor, led by the monarchs, descend into the Blue Hall. The Swedish king is holding a Nobel laureate on his arm, and if there is none, then the wife of a physics laureate.

The banquet service has its own unique design: made in three colors of the Swedish Empire: blue, green and gold and consists of 6750 glasses, 9450 knives and forks, 9550 plates and one tea cup for Princess Liliana, who did not drink coffee. After the princess's death, the cup was kept in a special mahogany box with the princess's monogram. The saucer from the cup was stolen not long ago.

7. NOBEL IN SPACE

Most often, the name of Alfred Nobel is immortalized by astronauts. In 1970, the International Astronomical Union named a crater on the Moon after Alfred Nobel, albeit on its dark side. And in 1983, asteroid number 6032 was named in his honor.

8. WHEN PRIZES ARE NOT AWARDED

If there are no worthy candidates for a prize in any field, it is simply not awarded. This happened five times with the medicine prize, four times with the physics prize, and most of all with the Peace Prize. According to the rules adopted in 1974, the prize can only be awarded during the lifetime of the laureate. The rule was broken only once, in 2011, when medical laureate Ralph Stayman died of cancer two hours before the presentation.

9. CASH EQUIVALENT OF THE PRIZE AND STRANGE WAYS TO SPEND IT

The cash equivalent of the award is variable, but usually amounts to more than a million US dollars. Not every scientist spends such a sum on the development of his scientific research. Ivan Bunin, with all the scope of his Russian soul, spent money on parties. The poet René François Armand Sully-Prudhomme organized his own prize, which was not as successful as the Nobel Prize, but existed for six years and was awarded to masters of poetry. The Hungarian writer Irme Kertész gave his prize to his wife, thus appreciating her heroic loyalty to him in difficulties and poverty. “Let her buy herself dresses and jewelry,” the writer commented on his decision, “she deserves it.”

Paul Greengard, who researched the relationship between nerve cells, which later led to the creation of antidepressants, used the bonus money to create his own Pearl Meister Greengard award. It is often presented as an analogue of the Nobel Prize for women, because in the scientific world, according to Greenard, there is enormous discrimination against women. The scientist dedicated the award to his mother who died during childbirth.

10. PEACE PRIZE

The most controversial and politically charged of the six areas in which the prize is awarded is the Peace Prize. For a prize in different times Such absolute villains as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin were nominated.

Last year, in 2014, Vladimir Putin was nominated for it. Seventeen-year-old Malala Yusufai from Pakistan, who took victory from Putin, became the youngest Nobel Prize winner. Her fight for girls' education in Islamic countries led to worldwide recognition and a prestigious award. Radical Islamic groups declared jihad (holy war) on the girl and immediately after the award they tried to kill her, but Malala survived and continues to fight for women’s rights to education.

Unlike all other areas, the Peace Prize is awarded not in Stockholm, but in Oslo.

STOCKHOLM, September 30. /Corr. TASS Irina Dergacheva/. The size of the monetary component of the Nobel Prize in 2015, as in the previous two years, has not formally changed and remains equal to 8 million crowns.

But due to the weakening of the Swedish krona against the dollar, this amount will be less than $1 million for the first time since 2001 and will amount to $950 thousand.

But it is not money, but prestige that is most important for laureates, says Lars Heikensten, executive director of the Nobel Foundation.

“First of all, this is the independent and careful process of selection (of laureates) by the Nobel committees, which has been the basis of the status and brand of the Nobel Prize for more than 100 years,” he notes in an interview with TT.

In 2012, the premium was reduced from 10 to 8 million crowns due to the financial crisis and the fund's losses. But that year, thanks to the high exchange rate of the Swedish krona, in dollar terms this amount was equal to $1.2 million.

8 million crowns this year is 98% of the monetary component of the very first Nobel Prize, which was awarded in 1901, experts have calculated. Then its size reached 150.8 thousand crowns, which in today’s money is 8.179 million crowns.

Award Rules

Each prize cannot be awarded to more than three persons. If two or three laureates are awarded in one scientific discovery, then the reward amount is divided equally. It may be decided to celebrate two discoveries. In this case, if one of them belongs to two laureates, then they receive 1/4 of the prize. As a rule, awards are awarded to the same person once.

There were cases when prizes were not awarded because it was not possible to find a worthy candidate (for example, during the First and Second World Wars, fewer candidates were nominated, making the choice more difficult).

The nomination process begins in September and ends on January 31 of the following year. According to the rules, the names of the nominees are not disclosed for 50 years, but often the organizations that nominated the candidate themselves disclose the information.

The awards are presented to the laureates on December 10 (the day of Alfred Nobel's death) in Stockholm and Oslo. The Peace Prize is presented in Oslo by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of the King of Norway. Since 1990, the ceremony has been held in the hall of the city hall of the capital of Norway. During the ceremony, the laureate makes a speech. The rest of the awards are presented in Stockholm by the King of Sweden. Since 1926, the ceremony has been held in Concert hall Stockholm. On the eve of the presentation of the prizes, the laureates give lectures. If the laureate was unable to receive the prize one year after his name was announced, the money remains at the disposal of the foundation.

Chemist, engineer and inventor Alfred Nobel made his fortune primarily through the invention of dynamite and other explosives. At one time, Nobel became one of the richest on the planet.

In total, Nobel owned 355 inventions.

At the same time, the fame that the scientist enjoyed cannot be called good. His brother Ludwig died in 1888. However, by mistake, journalists wrote in newspapers about Alfred Nobel himself. Thus one day he read his own obituary in the press, entitled “The Merchant of Death is Dead.” This incident made the inventor think about what kind of memory will remain of him in future generations. And Alfred Nobel changed his will.

Alfred Nobel's new will greatly offended the relatives of the inventor, who were left with nothing in the end.

The millionaire's new will was announced in 1897.

According to this paper, all of Nobel's movable and immovable property was to be converted into capital, which, in turn, should be placed in a reliable bank. The income from this capital should be divided annually into five equal parts and awarded in the form of scientists who have made the most significant discoveries in the field of physics, chemistry, and medicine; writers who created literary works; and also to those who have done the most significant "in the unity of nations, the abolition of slavery, or the reduction of armies and the promotion of peace congresses" (Peace Prize).

First laureates

Traditionally, the first prize is awarded in the field of medicine and physiology. So the very first Nobel winner in 1901 was the German bacteriologist Emil Adolf von Behring, who was developing a vaccine against diphtheria.

The laureate in physics receives the prize next. Wilhelm Roentgen was the first to receive this award for the rays named after him.

The first Nobel Prize winner in chemistry was Jacob van't Hoff, who studied the thermodynamics of various solutions.

The first writer to receive this high award was René Sully-Prudeme.

The Peace Prize is awarded to the latter. In 1901 it was divided between Jean Henry Dunant and Frédéric Passy. Swiss humanitarian Dunant is the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Frenchman Frederic Passy is a leader of the peace movement in Europe.

The history of the Nobel Prize began in 1889, when the brother of the famous inventor of dynamite Alfred Nobel, Ludwig, died. Then the journalists mixed up the information and published an obituary for Alfred's death, calling him a merchant of death. It was toga that the inventor decided to leave behind a softer legacy that would bring joy to those who truly deserved it.

Instructions

After the announcement of Nobel's will, an outburst erupted - the relatives were against the fact that a lot of money (in those days) went to the foundation, and did not go to them. But despite the heated condemnation of the inventor’s relatives, the foundation was still founded in 1900.

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901 in Stockholm. The laureates were scientists and researchers from various fields: physics, medicine, literature. The very first person to receive such a valuable award was Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen for the discovery of a new form of energy and rays that received his name. Interestingly, Roentgen was not present at the award ceremony. He learned that he had become a laureate while in Munich. Moreover, laureates usually receive the prize second, but as a sign of deep respect and recognition of the importance of the discovery made by Rentegn, he was given the prize first.

The next nominee for the same award was the chemist Jacob van't Hoff for his research in the field of chemical dynamics. He proved that Avogadro's law is valid and valid for dilute solutions. In addition, Van't Hoff experimentally proved that osmotic pressure in weak solutions obeys gas laws thermodynamics. In medicine, Emil Adolf von Behring received recognition and honor for his discovery of blood serum. This study, according to the professional community, became an important step in the treatment of diphtheria. This helped save many human lives that were simply doomed before.

Alfred Nobel

In 1888, Alfred Nobel read his own obituary in a French newspaper entitled “The Merchant of Death is Dead,” published by mistake by reporters. The article made Nobel think about how humanity would remember him. After this, he decided to change his will. On December 10, 1896, Alfred Nobel died at his villa in San Remo, Italy, from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Alfred Nobel's will, drawn up on November 27, 1895, was announced in January 1897:

Nobel's will

“All my movable and immovable property must be converted by my executors into liquid assets, and the capital thus collected must be placed in a reliable bank. Income from investments should belong to the fund, which will distribute them annually in the form of bonuses to those who brought greatest benefit humanity... The indicated percentages must be divided into five equal parts, which are intended: one part - to the one who makes the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics; the other - to the one who makes the most important discovery or improvement in the field of chemistry; the third - to the one who makes the most important discovery in the field of physiology or medicine; fourth - to the one who creates the most outstanding literary work idealistic direction; fifth - to the one who has made the most significant contribution to the unity of nations, the abolition of slavery or the reduction of the size of existing armies and the promotion of peace congresses ... It is my special desire that, in awarding prizes, no consideration will be given to the nationality of the candidates ... "

This will was initially received with skepticism. It was only on April 26, 1897 that it was approved by the Storting of Norway. The executors of Nobel's will, secretary Ragnar Sulman and lawyer Rudolf Liljequist, organized the Nobel Foundation to take care of the execution of his will and organize the presentation of prizes.

According to Nobel's instructions, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, whose members were appointed in April 1897 shortly after the will came into force, became responsible for awarding the Peace Prize. After some time, the organizations presenting the remaining awards were determined. On June 7, he became responsible for the presentation of the Prize in Physiology and Medicine; On June 9, the Swedish Academy received the right to award a prize for literature; On 11 June, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was recognized as responsible for the physics and chemistry prizes. On June 29, 1900, the Nobel Foundation was founded for the purpose of managing the finances and organizing the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Foundation reached agreement on the basic principles of awarding prizes, and in 1900 the newly created foundation charter was accepted by King Oscar II. In 1905, the Swedish-Norwegian Union was dissolved. From now on, the Norwegian Nobel Committee is responsible for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize, and Swedish organizations are responsible for the remaining prizes.

Prize rules

The main document regulating the rules for awarding the prize is the statute of the Nobel Foundation.

The prize can only be awarded to individuals and not to institutions (except for peace prizes). The Peace Prize can be awarded to individuals as well as official and public organizations.

According to § 4 of the statute, one or two jobs can be encouraged at the same time, but at the same time total number the number of recipients should not exceed three. Although this rule was only introduced in 1968, it has always been de facto respected. In this case, the monetary reward is divided among the laureates as follows: the prize is first divided equally between the works, and then equally between their authors. Thus, if two different discoveries are awarded, one of which was made by two people, then they each receive 1/4 of the monetary part of the prize. And if one discovery is awarded, which was made by two or three, everyone receives equally (1/2 or 1/3 of the prize, respectively)

Also in § 4 it is stated that the prize cannot be awarded posthumously. However, if the applicant was alive at the time the prize was announced (usually in October), but died before the award ceremony (December 10 of the current year), then the prize remains with him. This rule was adopted in 1974 and before that the prize was awarded posthumously twice: to Erik Karlfeldt in 1931 and to Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961. However, in 2011, the rule was broken when, by decision of the Nobel Committee, Ralph Steinman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine posthumously, since at the time of the award the Nobel Committee considered him alive.

According to § 5 of the statute, the prize may not be awarded to anyone if the members of the relevant committee did not find worthy works among those nominated for competition. In this case, the prize money is retained until the next year. If the prize is not awarded next year, the funds are transferred to the closed reserve of the Nobel Foundation.

Nobel Prizes

Nobel's will provided for the allocation of funds for awards to representatives of only five areas:

• Physics (awarded since , in Sweden);
• Chemistry (awarded from , in Sweden);
• Physiology and Medicine (awarded since , in Sweden);
• Literature (awarded since, in Sweden);
• Promoting world peace (awarded since , in Norway).

In addition, regardless of Nobel’s will, since 1969, on the initiative of the Swedish Bank, a prize in his name in economics has also been awarded. It is awarded under the same conditions as other Nobel Prizes. Subsequently, the board of the Nobel Foundation decided not to increase the number of nominations.

The laureate is required to give a so-called “Nobel Memorial Lecture,” which is then published by the Nobel Foundation in a special volume.

Number of Nobel laureates from different countries

Nobel Prize amount

Award procedure

Award presentation

The award ceremony is preceded by great job which is underway all year round numerous organizations around the world. In October, the laureates are finally approved and announced. The final selection of laureates is carried out by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institutet and the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The award procedure takes place annually, on December 10, in the capitals of two countries - Sweden and Norway. In Stockholm, prizes in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology and medicine, literature and economics are awarded by the King of Sweden, and in the field of peace - by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee - in Oslo, in the city hall, in the presence of the King of Norway and members of the royal family. Along with a cash prize, the amount of which varies depending on the income received from the Nobel Foundation, laureates are awarded a medal with his image and a diploma.

The first Nobel banquet took place on December 10, 1901, simultaneously with the first presentation of the prize. Currently, the banquet is held in the Blue Hall of the City Hall. 1300-1400 people are invited to the banquet. Dress code: tailcoats and evening dresses. Chefs from the Town Hall Cellar (a restaurant at the Town Hall) and culinary specialists who have ever received the title of Chef of the Year take part in the development of the menu. In September, three menu options are tasted by members of the Nobel Committee, who decide what will be served “at Nobel’s table.” The only dessert that is always known is ice cream, but until the evening of December 10, no one except a narrow circle of initiates knows what kind.

For the Nobel banquet, specially designed dinnerware and tablecloths are used. A portrait of Nobel is woven on the corner of each tablecloth and napkin. Dishes self made: along the edge of the plate there is a stripe of three colors of the Swedish Empire - blue, green and gold. The stem of the crystal wine glass is decorated in the same color scheme. The banquet service was commissioned for $1.6 million for the 90th anniversary of the Nobel Prizes in 1991. It consists of 6,750 glasses, 9,450 knives and forks, 9,550 plates and one tea cup. The last one is for Princess Liliana, who doesn't drink coffee. The cup is stored in a special beautiful box made of wood with the princess's monogram. The saucer from the cup was stolen.

The tables in the hall are arranged with mathematical precision, and the hall is decorated with 23,000 flowers sent from San Remo. All movements of the waiters are strictly timed down to the second. For example, the ceremonial bringing in of ice cream takes exactly three minutes from the moment the first waiter appears with a tray at the door until the last of them stands at his table. Other dishes take two minutes to serve.

The banquet ends with the delivery of ice cream, crowned with a chocolate monogram “N” like a crown. At 22:15 the Swedish king gives the signal for the start of dancing in the Golden Hall of the Town Hall. At 1:30 the guests leave.

Absolutely all dishes from the menu, from 1901 onwards, can be ordered at the Stockholm Town Hall restaurant. This lunch costs a little less than $200. Every year they are ordered by 20 thousand visitors, and traditionally the most popular menu is the last Nobel banquet.

Nobel Concert

Nobel Concert- one of the three components of the Nobel week, along with the presentation of prizes and the Nobel dinner. It is considered one of the main musical events of the year in Europe and the main musical event of the year in the Scandinavian countries. The most prominent classical musicians of our time take part in it. In fact, there are two Nobel concerts: one is held on December 8 of each year in Stockholm, the second in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

Nobel Prize Equivalents

Many areas of science remained “uncovered” by the Nobel Prize. Due to the fame and prestige of the Nobel Prizes, the most prestigious awards in other fields are often informally referred to as "Nobel Prizes".

Mathematics and computer science

Initially, Nobel included mathematics in the list of sciences for which the prize is awarded, but later crossed it out, replacing it with the Peace Prize. The exact reason is unknown. There are many legends associated with this fact, poorly supported by facts. Most often this is associated with the name of the Swedish mathematician, the leader of Swedish mathematics at that time Mittag-Leffler, whom Nobel disliked for some reason. Among these reasons, they name either the mathematician’s courtship of Nobel’s fiancée, or the fact that he was persistently begging for donations to Stockholm University. Being one of the most prominent mathematicians in Sweden at that time, Mittag-Leffler was also the main contender for this very prize.

Another version: Nobel had a lover, Anna Desry, who later fell in love with Franz Lemarge and married him. Franz was the son of a diplomat and at that time was planning to become a mathematician.

According to the director of the executive committee of the Nobel Foundation: “there is not a word about this in the archives. Rather, mathematics was simply not within Nobel's area of ​​interest. He bequeathed money for bonuses in areas close to him.” Thus, stories about stolen brides and annoying mathematicians should be interpreted as legends or anecdotes.

The "equivalents" of the Nobel Prize in mathematics are the Fields Medal and the Abel Prize, in the field of computer science - the Turing Award.

Economy

This is the unofficial name for the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The prize was established by the Bank of Sweden in 1969. Unlike other prizes awarded at the award ceremony for Nobel laureates, funds for this prize are not allocated from the legacy of Alfred Nobel. Therefore, the question of whether this prize should be considered a “true Nobel” is debatable. The winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics is announced on October 12; The awards ceremony takes place in Stockholm on December 10th of each year.

Art

Each year, His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi, honorary patron of the Japan Arts Association, presents five "Imperial Prizes (Praemium Imperiale)" awards, which he says fill a gap in the Nobel Committee's nominations - specially designed medals, diplomas and cash prizes in five fields of art : painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theater/cinema. The reward is 15 million yen, which is equal to 195 thousand dollars.

Criticism of the award

Factual inconsistency with the will

According to Nobel's will, the prize should be awarded for discoveries, inventions and achievements made in the year of the award. This provision is de facto not respected.

Natural science awards

A number of scientists die before their discoveries or inventions pass the “test of time” necessary to be awarded the prize. There has also been a tendency to award prizes to representatives of the same scientific schools.

Humanitarian Awards

The compliance of the laureates of the literature prize with the official criteria for its award raised questions at the beginning of the 20th century [ specify] .

Repeated awards

Prizes (other than the Peace Prize) can only be awarded once, but there have been a few exceptions to this rule in the history of the award. Only four people have won the Nobel Prize twice:

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie, in physics in 1903 and in chemistry in 1911.
• Linus Pauling, Chemistry in 1954 and Peace Prize in 1962.
• John Bardeen, two prizes in physics, in 1956 and 1972.
• Frederick Sanger, two prizes in chemistry, in 1958 and 1980.

Organizations

• The International Committee of the Red Cross has been awarded the Peace Prize three times, in 1917, 1944 and 1963.
• The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has twice received the Peace Prize, in 1954 and 1981.

Nobel Prize in Art

Ig Nobel Prize

Ig Nobel Prizes, Ignobel Prize, Anti Nobel Prize (English) Ig Nobel Prize) - a parody of the Nobel Prize. Ten Ig Nobel Prizes are awarded at the beginning of October, that is, at the time when the winners of the real Nobel Prize are named, for achievements that first make you laugh and then make you think ( first make people laugh, and then make them think). The prize was founded by Mark Abrahams and the humor magazine Annals of Incredible Research.

See also

Notes

1. Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin. - 2001. - P. 5.
2. Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin. - 2001. - P. 11.
3. Golden, Frederic. The Worst And The Brightest, " Time magazine, Time Warner(16 October 2000). Retrieved April 9, 2010.
4. Sohlman, Ragnar. - 1983. - P. 13.
5. Compuart magazine. Calendar of significant dates. Nikolay Dubina
6. From dynamite to Viagra. Kommersant. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
7. Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin. - 2001. - P. 13–25.
8. Abrams, Irwin. - 2001. - P. 7–8.
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