Alfred Nobel signs his last will establishing the Nobel Prize
- When
- 1895
- Where
- Swedish-Norwegian Club
- Episodes
- 1
Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament on 27 November 1895 at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris. This document dedicated the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prizes, awarding them annually without distinction of nationality for the greatest benefit to humankind.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist and inventor, finalized his will and testament in late 1895. By this time, he had developed angina pectoris. The document, composed over a year before his death, specified that his fortune be used to create a series of prizes for those who confer the greatest benefit on mankind.
Will Provisions. The will set aside the bulk of Nobel's estate to establish the Nobel Prizes. It specified awards in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. The prizes were to be awarded annually without distinction of nationality, funded by Nobel's personal fortune.
People involved
- Alfred Nobel · Testator
- Ragnar Sohlman · Executor
- Rudolf Lilljequist · Executor
Sources
- Alfred Nobel Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-07
- Nobel Prize Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-11
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.