TheNobelPrizeisoneofthegreatesthonorsintheworldtoday.Onceayear,peoplewinthisprizefortheirworkinscience,medicine,literature,economics,orworldpeace.Eachwinnerreceivedagoldmetal,adiploma,andabout$1million.Theyalsoearntherespectofpeoplearoundtheworld. 　　NobelPrizewinnersreceivetheirawardsatceremoniesinStockholm,Sweden,andOslo,Norway,onDecember10,theanniversaryofthedeathofAlfredNobel.Nobelwasascientistandinventor.Inhiswill,helefthisfortunetocreatetheNobelPrize.Nobelwantedpeopletorememberhimasamanofpeace,butinhislifetimehewasmostfamousforbuildingweaponsofwar. 　　AlfredNobelwasbornin1833inStockholm,Sweden.Hisfather,Immanuel,wasaninventor.AfterAlfredwasborn,hisfatherwenttoRussiatowork.Heworkedwiththegovernmentandmademachineryandexplosives.Severalyearslater,ImmanuelmovedhisfamilytoRussia.Alfredandhistwoolderbrotherswereinterestedinscienceandenjoyedwatchingtheirfatherinthelaboratory. 　　WhenAlfredwas17yearsold,hetraveledtotheUnitedStatesandseveralEuropeancountriestostudy.ThenhereturnedtoRussiatoworkwithhisfatherandhisbrothers.TheyworkedontheexplosiveweaponsfortheRussianmilitary.Atthattime,themilitaryuseonlyonetypeofexplosive—gunpowder.ThenachemistryprofessorshowedtheNobelsaheavy,oilyliquidtheycoulduseintheirwork.Itwascallednitroglycerin.Nitroglycerinwasapowerfulexplosive,butitwasdangeroustoworkwith. 　　Alfredandhisfatherexperimentedwithnitroglycerin.Finally,in1863,Alfredinventedawaytomakeitmoresafe.Scientistseverywherepraisedhiswok.Nitroglycerinhadmanygooduses.Workersusedittobuildroadsthroughmountainsandtoconstructminesdeepintheearth. 　　Nobel’sinventionwasnotperfect,however.Nitroglycerinexplodedifsomeonedroppeditoruseditincorrectly.Sometimesitleakedfromthecans.Sometimestheworkersusedtheoilyliquidonwheelsortocleantheirshoes!Thisoftencausedaccidentsandinjures.Afterawhile,somegovernmentsstartedtobannitroglycerinbecauseitwasdangerous. 　　TheNobelscontinuedtoexperimenttomakenitroglycerinsafer.Unfortunately,inSeptember1864,Alfred’sbrother,Emil,waskilledinanexplosionintheirlaboratory.Aftertheaccident,Immanuelhadastrokeandparalyzed.Hediedeightyearslater,onthesamedayEmilwasdied. 　　AlfredNobelwantedtomakenitroglycerinsafe.Hebuiltanewlaboratoryandcontinuedhiswork.In1867,hediscoveredanewmaterialtomixwiththenitroglycerin.Thismaterialmadethenitroglycerinsaferandmoreeffective.Hecalledhisnewinvention“dynamite.” 　　Nobelbuiltfactoriesallovertheworld.Hecontinuedhisexperimentanddevelopednewandmorepowerfulexplosives.Healsobecameinterestedinweapons.Hedevelopedanewtypeofgunpowderaswellasothermaterials.Nobelbecameverywealthy.Manypeoplesaidhewasabadpersonbecauseheinventeddestructiveweapons.Buthebelievedthatnationswouldstopwarsiftheyhadweaponsthatcoulddestroyeachother. 　　In1888,AlfredNobel’solderbother,Ludwig,died.AnewspaperconfusedhimwithAlfredandcalledhim“themerchantofdeath.”ThisupsetAlfredverymuch.Hewantedpeopletorememberhimasamanofpeace.SevenyearslaterhewroteouthiswillandcreatedtheNobelPrize.Whenhediedin1896,people