In 1866 this person invented dynamite, and when he died in 1896, left his $9 million fortune to be given away each year as prizes. Who was he?

The man behind both a powerful explosive and the world's most prestigious peace prize was Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel. In the 1860s, he sought to stabilize the dangerously volatile compound nitroglycerin, resulting in his invention of dynamite. This new, safer explosive revolutionized industries like mining and construction, and Nobel built a global business empire, amassing a massive fortune from it and his 355 other patents.

His legacy, however, could have been very different. A widely told story claims that when his brother died, a French newspaper mistakenly published Alfred's obituary with the headline, "The merchant of death is dead." Shaken by the thought of being remembered for creating tools of war and destruction, Nobel decided to use his wealth to promote human progress instead.

In his final will, he bequeathed 94% of his fortune—worth over $250 million in today's money—to establish the annual Nobel Prizes. First awarded in 1901, these honors celebrate groundbreaking achievements in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace. This final act ensured that his name would forever be linked not to destruction, but to humanity's greatest accomplishments.