After the dynamite he invented to make handling explosives safer was instead used for warfare, Alfred Nobel reshaped his legacy by establishing the Nobel Prizes.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prizes have honored major global achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace efforts.

The first Nobel Prize ceremony, which honored the discovery of X-rays and the cofounder of the Red Cross, occurred five years after Alfred Nobel's death.

The Nobel Prizes are among the highest science honors, though they have long been criticized for their limited scope and representation of disciplines and minorities.

As of 2025, only five people have won two Nobel Prizes, with Marie Curie the only person to do so in two different sciences.

The Ig Nobel Prize—a satirical version of the Nobel Prize—aims to engage broader audiences by spotlighting scientific achievements that make people laugh before they think.

Of the 736 Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, and economics awarded through 2023, more than 95% went to the same academic family.

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was not among the prizes in Alfred Nobel's will but was established by Sweden's central bank in 1968.

Hundreds of individuals are nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize each year, and nominees have included controversial figures like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.

Explore the full list of Nobel laureates, which spans about 1,000 individuals, and their accomplishments.

In 2011, the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to a deceased scientist, which is forbidden under the Nobel Foundation's rules.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been criticized for sometimes honoring individuals who embody certain ideals, rather than those with recognizable achievements.

Various awards have been established to honor contributions in science, technology, and mathematics beyond the disciplines honored by the Nobel Prizes.

In 1936, Eugene O'Neill became the only American playwright to win the Nobel Prize in literature.

Watch writer John Steinbeck's Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

Half of the 2018 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded for a process that exploits bacterial evolution to engineer enzymes.

Before dynamite was invented, Erie Canal builders blasted rock with gunpowder

Nominations for each Nobel Prize in science are submitted by an invitation-only group of thousands of people, which includes leading academics and former Nobel laureates.

Explore a library of educational games and animated interactives based on Nobel Prize awarded achievements.

With rules established when scientists worked in small labs or in isolation, the Nobel Prizes have struggled to reflect the collaborative nature of modern research.

Pulitzer left $2M to Columbia University to establish the Pulitzer Prize

For his 1922 Nobel Prize in physics, Niels Bohr was awarded a lifetime of free beer by Denmark's Carlsberg Brewery.

As of 2025, the US has more Nobel laureates than any other nation and more than the next five nations combined.

Marie Curie's research on radioactivity made her the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win awards in two sciences.

Some of the robber barons, including Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, were among America's greatest philanthropists.

Explore a list of Nobel Prize winners supported by National Science Foundation grants.

Robert Koch won the Nobel for his tuberculosis work, but he also pioneered cholera research

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for lithium-ion battery development

Worried that Nazi Germany could weaponize nuclear fission first, Albert Einstein wrote a 1939 letter warning President Roosevelt about the possibility of atomic bombs—a decision he later regretted.

Nobel Prizes in science have favored male, North American, and European scientists from established academic institutions, with only 11 female winners in the 20th century.

Learn more about the history of fireworks, which date back to an accidental invention during an alchemist's quest for information about immortality.

The discovery of nuclear fission was facilitated by the discovery of the neutron

The discovery of the neutron paved the way for nuclear weapons

Penicillin's pioneers were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1945

Some Nobel laureates have expressed beliefs in pseudoscience after winning

The discovery of insulin led to a controversial Nobel Prize in 1923

In the early 1900s, Fourth of July celebrations were so dangerous that a reform movement emerged to make them safer.

Marie Curie pioneered radioactivity research, for which she won two Nobel Prizes

Marie Curie's daughter Irene discovered artificial radioactivity

During his 'miraculous year,' Albert Einstein published four groundbreaking papers, including the postulates of special relativity.

The disputed inventor of the radio

Oppenheimer reflected on the atomic bomb's legacy two decades later

The Nobel Foundation has stated there is no 'substantial male chauvinist bias in the [selection] committees,' despite only one in 20 awards going to women.

Camus won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1957 for his philosophical essays and fiction

Robert Oppenheimer became the face of the Manhattan Project and the atomic bomb

Some allege that Bob Dylan plagiarized his Nobel Prize in literature lecture.

Despite founding General Motors, one of the most successful car companies in the world, William Durant lost his multimillion-dollar fortune before he died.

In 2016, Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his lyrics, marking the first time a rock songwriter had won the award.

J. Robert Oppenheimer’s grandson says his grandfather would back nuclear power

Tesla's lack of business savvy and inability to commercialize led to his obscurity

The Nobel Prize committee was not enthusiastic about selecting John Steinbeck, whom they considered past his prime.