On This Day In 1901

Alfred Nobel was one of the most successful scientists of the 19th century. During his lifetime his most famous achievement was registering the patent for his invention "Dynamite" but his lasting legacy is undoubtedly the Nobel Prize, the foundation of which he provided for in his will of 1895. At the time of his death, his family and associates were outraged—presumably because the prize meant they would see little of Nobel's fortune, worth $186 million in today's money—but by 1901 the mood had calmed enough to award the first Nobel Prizes for Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Peace. Since then the Nobel Prize has been awarded every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death, and remains one of the most prestigious (and richest) awards in each field that it encompasses. Winners for this year's prizes can be seen at the Nobel Foundation's website.