QuizEvery October the Nobel committees announce a new class of laureates, and every year the prize history gets a little richer. Here are seven facts to know before you take our Nobel Prize Winners quiz.
- The prizes were paid for by dynamite. Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist who invented dynamite, left most of his fortune to fund the prizes in his 1895 will. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901.
- Economics came later. Nobel's will named five prizes: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace. The economics prize was created by Sweden's central bank in 1968 and first awarded in 1969.
- Peace is the odd one out. The Peace Prize is chosen by a Norwegian committee and presented in Oslo, while the others are presented in Stockholm. Both ceremonies are held on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death.
- Marie Curie broke two records. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize (Physics, 1903) and is still the only person to win in two different sciences, adding Chemistry in 1911.
- Linus Pauling won two prizes on his own. He received the 1954 Chemistry prize and the 1962 Peace Prize, making him the only person with two unshared Nobel Prizes.
- Not everyone said yes. Jean-Paul Sartre declined the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature, saying a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution.
- The youngest laureate was 17. Malala Yousafzai shared the 2014 Peace Prize for her fight for girls' education, becoming the youngest Nobel laureate in history.
Think you know your laureates? Put it to the test with the Nobel Prize Winners quiz, or host it live for your next game night.