BONUS 3: Which one of these people never won the Nobel Peace Prize: Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, or Yassir Arafat?

It might come as a surprise to many, given his global renown as an icon of non-violent resistance and peace, but Mahatma Gandhi never received the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite being nominated five times, in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947, and just days before his assassination in 1948, the revered leader of India's independence movement was never awarded the prestigious honor.

The reasons for this omission are complex and have been a subject of much discussion and retrospective regret by later members of the Nobel Committee. At the time, Gandhi's approach to peace and non-violence was considered groundbreaking and did not fit neatly into the traditional categories the committee recognized, such as politicians or proponents of international law. There were also concerns about his involvement in the India-Pakistan conflict in 1947 and doubts about his consistent pacifism by some committee members. Furthermore, his assassination in January 1948 occurred just before the closing date for nominations, and while a posthumous award was considered, it was ultimately decided against due to a lack of clear precedent and formal reasons. The 1948 prize was subsequently reserved and not awarded to anyone, a silent acknowledgment of the void left by his absence.

In contrast, the other notable figures listed have all been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize for their significant contributions to global peace and human rights. Mother Teresa received the award in 1979 for her work alleviating poverty and distress. Martin Luther King, Jr. was honored in 1964 for his non-violent struggle for civil rights in the United States. Nelson Mandela, alongside F.W. de Klerk, was a laureate in 1993 for their work in peacefully ending apartheid in South Africa. Yassir Arafat shared the prize in 1994 with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East. While Gandhi's name is not on the list of laureates, his legacy as a global symbol of non-violence and inspiration for civil rights movements worldwide remains undeniable.