4 minute read
Great Minds
from KidZine 42
by KidZine
Alfred Nobel
Inventor of Dynamite
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Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator and armaments manufacturer famed for his invention of dynamite.
Nobel was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1833.
He learned the basic principles of explosives from his father at a young age and at school, he excelled at chemistry and languages. In addition to his native tongue, he went on to become fluent in French, German, English and Russian.
At the age of 18, he went to the United States and studied chemistry for four years. He later returned to Sweden, devoting himself to the study of explosives, in particular, the safe manufacture and use of nitroglycerine.
Nobel filed his first patent, for a gas meter, in 1857.
He invented a detonator in 1863 and in 1865, designed the blasting cap; a small sensitive primary explosive device generally used to detonate a larger, more powerful and less sensitive secondary explosive.
In 1864, a shed used for the preparation of nitroglycerin, exploded at a factory in Stockholm, killing five people, including Nobel's younger brother. More minor incidents occurred but despite this, Nobel went on to build further factories, focusing on improving the stability of the explosives he was developing.
Nobel invented dynamite in 1867, a substance easier and safer to handle than the more unstable nitroglycerin.
Dynamite was patented in the US and the UK and was used extensively in mining and the building of transport networks internationally. In 1875, Nobel invented gelignite, more stable and powerful than dynamite and in 1887, patented ballistite, a predecessor of cordite. Nobel held 350 different patents, dynamite being the most famous.
He died in Italy in December 1896, aged 63 but is buried in Stockholm. He left most of his wealth in trust, in order to fund the awards that would later become known as the Nobel Prizes.
1. For what did Nobel receive his first patent? 2. Besides Swedish, name two other languages spoken by Nobel. 3. What significant event happened in 1864? 4. How many patents did Nobel go on to hold? 5. When did Nobel first invent dynamite? 6. Where is Nobel buried? 7. Other than languages, what other subject did Nobel excel in? 8. Dynamite was used extensively for mining and what else? 9. When did Nobel die? 10. From whom did he learn the basic principle of explosives?
ةلئسلاا
؟لبون اهملتسا عارتخا ةءارب لوأ تناك اذام .1 اهب ثدحتي يتلا ىرخلأا تاغللا نم نينثا مس ،ةيديوسلا بناج ىلإ .2 .لبون ؟1864 ماع يف عقو يذلا مهملا ثدحلا ام .3 ؟لبون اهيلع لصح يتلا عارتخلاا تاءارب ددع ام .4 ؟تيمانيدلا لبون عرتخا ىتم .5 ؟لبون نفد نيأ .6 ؟اضيأ لبون قوفت لاجم يا يف ،تاغللا بناجب .7 ؟اضيأ اذامو نيدعتلل عساو قاطن ىلعتيمانيدلا مادختسا مت .8 ؟ لبون يفوت ىتم .9 ؟تارجفتملل ةيساسلأا ئدابملا ملعت نمم .10
لبون ديرفلأ
تيمانيلدا عترمخ
.1833 ماع يف ديوسلا ،ملوهكوتس يف لبون دلو
