Without some of the people mentioned in today’s puzzle, we wouldn’t have the modern conveniences that we enjoy and even take for granted today.
Click start to play the Weekend Crossword, where you can name inventors and innovators from around the world.
One of the most distinguished awards given out to innovators today – the Nobel Prize – came from the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. When he was a student, Nobel met Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero, the man who developed nitroglycerin. Proficient in chemistry, Nobel devised ways to harness nitroglycerin’s explosive power in a controlled manner, and eventually invented dynamite, along with other, much more powerful, explosives. With over 300 patents under his name, Nobel even went on to establish numerous armament factories.
But how did he go from creating explosives to establishing a prize for peace? Legend has it that it was due to a mistaken obituary.
In 1888, Nobel’s brother Ludvig – a prominent businessman who was one of the world’s richest men and is credited with forming the Russian oil industry – died. The European press mistook Nobel for Ludvig and printed obituaries detailing his life, instead. One headline, which read “The Merchant of Death is Dead”, referred repeatedly to the fact that he invented dynamite. Nobel didn’t like what he read and was compelled to think about his legacy. He decided to use the fortune he amassed from manufacturing arms to award prizes to people who benefited mankind.
In 1895, Nobel wrote his last will, establishing the five prizes – chemistry, literature, physiology or medicine, physics, and peace. And after his death, in 1901, the first prizes were given out. The trend continues even today.
Play the Weekend Crossword and see how many inventors you can name. Let us know if you enjoyed it at games@gulfnews.com.
