Alfred Nobel, creator of dynamite

Perhaps what made him most famous was that he created a method to reduce the volatility of nitroglycerin, a highly flammable chemical.

His solution was to mix it with an absorbent porous material and that resulted in a powder that was completely safe to handle without the presence of an electrical or chemical trigger.

In his will, regretting what his invention contributed to war activities, he determined that his fortune be destined to reward the best exponents of literature, physics, chemistry, medicine or peace.

The anecdote that led to the creation of the Nobel Prizes is quite well known: in 1888 its creator, Alfred Nobel, read his own obituary in the newspaper, entitled "The merchant of death has died". The press had confused him with his brother Ludwig, who had indeed died, but this article made him reflect on how history would remember him: Nobel had been the creator of dynamite, an invention he had developed in the name of progress but which ultimately caused an immense number of deaths, accidental or intentional.

At first he patented his invention as "Nobel explosive powder", but later changed the name to dynamite, taken from the Greek word dynamis, which means "power".

The truth was that dynamite multiplied the power of gunpowder and was much safer than other more powerful explosives such as nitroglycerin. It was immediately given three main uses: demolition, mining and work for railway lines.

The potential of dynamite also tempted archaeologists, at a time when that discipline was often driven by the prospect of finding treasure rather than by a thirst for knowledge. Some of the most important discoveries of his time, such as the discovery of the legendary city of Troy, were made by exploding what "disturbed", something that today we would consider aberrant due to the destruction of much information in the process

Despite this, and whether or not the anecdote in his obituary was true, Alfred Nobel deserved in the eyes of many to call him the "merchant of death", since his factories also manufactured ammunition and, certainly, his invention brought both progress and destruction.