Some Nobel Prize facts you didn’t know about

If the most prestigious award in the world fascinates you, read on for some unknown facts

The Nobel Prize was set up according to the last will and testament of Alfred Nobel – a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist. In his will, he bequeathed all of his ‘remaining realisable assets’ to be used to establish five prizes. The Nobel Prize is awarded in the field of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. In 1968 a sixth prize was established in the field of Economic Sciences, which is also known as The SverigesRiksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.

The prizes are awarded “to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”. The Nobel Prizes were first awarded in 1901, since then the Prizes including in Economic Sciences have been awarded 603 times to 962 people and 25 organizations. And four individuals have received more than one Nobel Prize. If these facts make you curious, read on to find unknown facts about this prestigious award.

From 1901 till 2020, the Nobel Prize and Prize in Economic Sciences have been awarded 57 times to women.

The Curies is the only family of Nobel Laureates. While Marie Curie was awarded two Nobel Prizes, in 1903 in Physics and in 1911 in Chemistry, her husband Pierre Curie shared the 1903 Physics prize with her. Their daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, received the Chemistry Prize in 1935 with her husband Frédéric Joliot-Curie.

American chemist, biochemist, chemical engineer Linus Pauling is the only person to have been awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes – the 1954 Prize in Chemistry and 1962 a Peace Prize.

American physicist John Bardeen is the only Nobel Laureate to have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics twice, in 1956 and 1972.

The Nobel Peace Prize is the only prize that is not awarded in Stockholm but in presence of the King of Norway in Oslo. The Prize is given annually on 10th December, on the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel.

The oldest prizewinner was 90-year-old Leonid Hurwicz, who won the SverigesRiksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. The youngest winner is Malala Yousafzai, who won the Peace Prize in 2014 when she was 17-years-old.

The Nobel Prize comprises a gold medal, a diploma, and a monetary award. While the prize money varies and is to be shared between not more than three people, the diploma is a unique work of art that is created by foremost Swedish and Norwegian artists and calligraphers.

American experimental physicist Leon Lederman, who won Nobel Prize winner for co-discovery of the muon neutrino, sold his prize for $765,000 to cover the medical expenses.

Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Prize five times. But two days before nominations he was assassinated, leading to his disqualification.