The First Nobel Laureates : 1901 Quiz

Answer: Swedish

Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833-1896) was born in Stockholm. He was a chemist, engineer and inventor and owned Bofors, an armaments company. In 1867, he patented dynamite, which was a more stable explosive and safer to use than similar products of the time.

In his will, Nobel bequeathed his estate for the establishment of the Nobel Prizes, with annual awards in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and for the promotion of Peace.

Answer: Just the element

In his publication, "The Elements" (2009), Theodore Gray writes about Lise Meitner who should have shared the 1944 Nobel Prize in Physics, but did not because of her gender. Gray said, "...a Nobel Prize is a cheap trinket in comparison to the distinction of having an element named in your honor." Although Meitner never received a Nobel Prize, she has been honoured with Meitnerium (Mt), element number 109.

Element 102 in the Periodic Table of Elements is Nobelium (No) and is one of the ways that Nobel has been honoured for establishing the prizes that bear his name. The Nobel Prizes statutes preclude them being awarded to deceased persons. Nobelium is a synthetic element with a half-life of 2.8 hours (168 minutes). This means that it does not occur naturally on Earth and when it is produced in a reactor or collider, Nobelium does not last long, decaying into simpler elements.

Answer: X-rays

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) was a German physicist and engineer. In 1895 he produced and detected X-rays, which he called, 'Röntgen' rays. Röntgen donated the money from his Nobel prize to the University of Würzburg in Germany for research purposes. In 2004, IUPAC (the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) named element number 111 after him. Roentgenium (Rg) has a half life of just 10 minutes. Theodore Gray in 'The Elements' comments on the irony that Roentgenium with its 10 minute half-life does not produce any X-rays when it decays.

All the answers are forms of electromagnetic radiation.

Answer: osmotic

Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff Jr. (1852-1911) was a Dutch physical chemist. In his lifetime, he contributed widely to many chemical disciplines, including organic and stereochemistry. He was a founder of modern-day physical chemistry and his name is still found today, labeling an equation, a rule and the van 't Hoff factor.

van 't Hoff's Nobel Prize address was titled, "The significance of 'Osmotic Pressure' in plant and animal life." He showed that under certain conditions, solution behaviour closely resembled gases and that gas laws could be applied to solution chemistry. Jacob H. van 't Hoff considered his Nobel Prize the pinnacle of his scientific career.

Answer: Diphtheria

Emil Adolf von Behring (1854-1917) was a German physiologist and immunologist. He received his Nobel Prize for his work on serum therapy, particularly its use against diphtheria--a bacterial infection. Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Alice, died from diphtheria in 1878.

He also worked towards discovering a treatment for tuberculosis, but was unsuccessful treating humans in his lifetime.

Answer: Poetry

René François Armand (Sully) Prudhomme (1839-1907) was a French essayist and poet. He received the 1901 Nobel Prize in Literature in recognition of his 'poetic composition'. Prudhomme wanted to train as an engineer but poor eyesight prevented that. He worked in the law and wrote poetry. His first work, 'Stances et Počmes' (Stanzas and Poems) was published in 1865 and well-received. He continued writing poetry and essays and also produced a book on Blaise Pascal. Sully Prudhomme used his prize money to establish a French poetry award.

Answer: 3

Nobel Prizes may be divided between two or three persons or organisations. According to the Nobel Prize statutes, they may not be divided between more than three.

Answer: International Committee of the Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross began in 1863 (the year is significant) in Geneva, Switzerland. Jean Henry Dunant (1828-1910) and Gustave Moynier (1826-1910) jointly founded the organisation.

Dunant was a Swiss businessman and humanitarian. Having seen battlefield conditions, his vision was for an organisation to care for wounded soldiers without interference from Governments. The Geneva Convention of 1864 had its genesis with Dunant and The Red Cross and was the first of four conventions on the rights and treatment of prisoners of war. He also founded the Young Men's Christian Association in Switzerland but arguably its reach and influence is not the same as the Red Cross. Médecins Sans Frontičres (Doctors Without Borders) dates from 1971, while Save the Children was founded in 1919.

Answer: Pacifists

Frédéric Passy (1822-1912) was a French economist and pacifist. He formed a number of Societies to work for peace, both in France and internationally. He also promoted free trade between countries as he felt this too would help with the peace process.

'Pacesetter' is another word for pacemaker: someone who sets the pace in a race or some other event. 'Pachyderms' are animals with thick skins, like elephants or hippopotamuses. 'Passivists' are people who are inactive or refuse to take part in something.

Answer: 3

The International Committee of the Red Cross has been honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize three times:

1917 sole award: for protecting the rights of prisoners of war in WWI.
1944 sole award: for work during WWII.
1963 dual award: the International Red Cross Committee and the League of Red Cross Societies. This award was given to commemorate 100 years of protecting human rights since 1863.