Alfred Nobel

Alfred Bernhard Nobel (21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, and industrialist who amassed a fortune through the manufacture of explosives and held 355 patents across multiple countries.

Born in Stockholm to a family involved in engineering and armaments, Nobel's early education included chemistry and languages, leading him to work in his father's factories and later establish his own enterprises in Europe and the United States. His most significant invention, dynamite, patented in 1867, stabilized nitroglycerin by absorbing it into diatomaceous earth, making it safer to transport and use in mining, construction, and demolition while enabling its widespread commercial and military adoption.