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

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.

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.

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

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.

As of 2026, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which advises the pope on scientific matters, has included 90 Nobel laureates among its members.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

The first circular particle accelerator was narrower than the average cereal bowl

By measuring them in hot-air balloons during a partial solar eclipse and at night, Victor Hess discovered cosmic rays and concluded they came from beyond the solar system.

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

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

Watch writer John Steinbeck's Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

August A. Busch, Sr. was gifted a six-horse Clydesdale hitch to celebrate Prohibition's end

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

Known for his theories of relativity, Albert Einstein's Nobel Prize in physics was for his discovery of the photoelectric effect, which makes digital cameras possible.

Svalbard Brewery is the northernmost brewery in the world, located in a remote Arctic village where there are nearly as many polar bears as there are people.

The 2011 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for the discovery of dark energy, which has driven the accelerated expansion of the universe.

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

How scientists earned themselves a Nobel Prize by discovering what destroyed ozone

How a competition honoring a king's birthday uncovered history's first chaotic system

Some Nobel laureates have expressed beliefs in pseudoscience after winning

Bluetooth, the technology that connects nearby devices via radio waves, is named after King Harald 'Bluetooth' Gormsson, who united Denmark and Norway in the 10th century.

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

Jean-Paul Sartre rejected his Nobel Prize in literature in 1964, believing it was antithetical to his role as an artist.

Budweiser pioneered refrigerated rail transport for its beer in the 1870s

Nobel Prize winner William Butler Yeats was fascinated by magic and the occult

Against his wishes, Albert Einstein's brain was removed before his cremation, and the pathologist responsible stored it for decades in mason jars within a beer cooler.

The 2018 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for applications in laser physics, including the creation of light-based tweezers.

Once an employee at the Swiss Patent Office, Albert Einstein held approximately 50 patents, including ones for a refrigerator, hearing aids, and a blouse design.

Bill Nye received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025

Penicillin's pioneers were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1945

The 2017 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to LIGO's founders

The discovery of neutron stars by Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who was not awarded the corresponding Nobel Prize

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.

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

The disputed inventor of the radio

There's some confusion over who founded the Bavarian Brewery that later became Budweiser

Liquor merchant Carl Conrad registered the 'Budweiser' trademark in 1878