Who Won the First Nobel Prize?
Do you know who won the first Nobel Prize? Discover the remarkable individuals who received the world’s most prestigious award and the achievements that changed history forever.
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Every year when the Nobel Prize winners are declared, the world listens. Overnight, scientists, writers and peacemakers become heroes around the world for their groundbreaking contributions for the betterment of society. But have you ever thought about who won the first Nobel Prize? So let's take a trip back to 1901 and see which people were awarded the Nobel Prize.
Who Was Alfred Nobel?
Alfred Nobel was a Swedish scientist and business man. He is best known for inventing dynamite. But the story takes an interesting twist, in 1888 a French paper published his obituary even after he was still alive. It labelled him as the "merchant of death" due to his invention of explosives.
That one newspaper article was a turning point in his life. Nobel didn't want to be remembered as one who brought destruction to the world. Therefore he made a new will. He chose to donate nearly all his money for those who do good for humanity.
The McGill University mentions: “Alfred Nobel had loathed war all his life and was stunned when his obituary referred to him as a "merchant of death." He vowed that he would not be remembered as such! So he decided to leave his immense fortune to foster science, literature and peace. The Nobel Prizes were born! All because a journalist did not check his facts.”
Who Won the First Nobel Prize?
There was no single awardee when the first Nobel Prize was handed out. There were five prizes were awarded across five categories: Here is who won:
Physics
Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen from Germany discovered X-rays in 1895. Give it a thought, each time you receive an X-ray in a hospital you are using his discovery. He was the first ever Nobel Prize recipient for Physics.
The Nobel Prize website mentions: “In 1895, scientists and the public were stunned by chilling images, showing the inside of a human hand. The images were created by a mysterious and invisible type of ray, discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who later received the first Nobel Prize in Physics 1901.”
Chemistry
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff from the Netherlands was honored with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was awarded for his work on osmotic pressure, in other words, the behaviour of substances in solution.
This served as the basis for modern chemistry. The Nobel Prize website states: “And what makes the sap of the oak tree rise? Jacobus H. van ‘t Hoff, the first Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, explains osmotic pressure and its importance in plant and animal life in his Nobel Lecture.”
Medicine
Emil von Behring from Germany came up with blood serum therapy to combat the disease diphtheria, which at the time was taking the lives of many children. His work literally saved the lives of young people.
The Nobel Prize website mentions: “Diphtheria took thousands of lives before a cure was found. In 1901, Emil von Behring was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on serum therapy, especially its application against diphtheria, “by which he has opened a new road in the domain of medical science and thereby placed in the hands of the physician a victorious weapon against illness and deaths”.
Literature
Sully Prudhomme from France was the first Nobel Prize winner in Literature. He was the recipient for his deeply thought, beautifully crafted poetry. In fact, he was quite ill when the ceremony was called so he was unable to attend the event.
The Nobel Prize website states: “An eye disease forced Sully Prudhomme to discontinue his engineering studies and direct his life into literature and poetry writing instead. His works showed a “rare combination of the qualities of both heart and intellect”, and earned him the first Literature Prize.”
Peace
Jean Henry Dunant and Frédéric Passy were the two men who shared the first Nobel Peace Prize. Jean Henry Dunant was a Swiss humanitarian who gave birth to the Red Cross which is the same Red Cross that operates in disaster areas all over the world including in India. Frédéric Passy was a French peace activist, a lifelong promoter of peace and international diplomacy.
The Nobel Prize website states: “Henry Dunant, founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, shared the first Nobel Peace Prize with Frédéric Passy, a leading international pacifist of the time. Since then, the Red Cross has been awarded the Peace Prize three times.”
The Nobel Prize began with one man's desire to not be “remembered for evil.” Over 120 years later it is now the greatest award that can be presented to any human being for making a contribution toward the world.
From Rontgen's X-rays to Dunant's Red Cross, the first Nobel Prizes in 1901 provided a strong example that knowledge, compassion and peace are worth more than anything else!
Nikhil is a dedicated content writer with more than five years of experience, and works for the Jagran Josh General Knowledge section. He likes to create engaging and easy-to-read general knowledge content. He has spent years working on brain teasers, optical illusions, trending stories, and informative listicles that simplify facts for readers. His approach focuses on clarity, creativity, and making information feel effortless to understand.
