A Story About Freddie
Okay, so, the other day, I’m scanning all the news sites when I notice that the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded. It was given to Muhammad Yunus and his bank for their efforts to spur along microcredit. I was in grad school when I first heard the history behind the Nobel Prize. I think it’s pretty cool. And, just in case you don’t know it (like I didn’t know it), I’ll share it with you. It’s short but sweet.
Freddie Nobel ( … his real name is Alfred, but I think Freddie sounds better … ) Where was I? Oh yeah, Freddie Nobel. Okay, so, Freddie is born in Sweden in the late 1800s, right? Well, he invents dynamite and other things that help people kill each other. And, before his death, the French (God love ‘em) are so distressed by his line of business that — when the accidently catch wind that he died (his brother did, not him) — they print an obituary for Alfred claiming that his legacy will be that he: “became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before.” Upon reading this, what does Freddie do? He decides that he doesn’t wanna go out like that; he wants his legacy to be a legacy of peace. So, in his will, he dedicates almost all of his estate to an organization that will recognize people for their efforts to promote the sciences, celebrate life, and spread peace in the world. Hence, every year, Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden awards the Nobel Prize. Pretty cool, huh?
October 18th, 2006 at 4:46 am
Alfie Nobel doesnt sound too bad either! Did you read that article about how it is possible that Dilbert creator Scot Adams could be nominated for the economics one? We’ll never know if he was or not because apparently they don’t reveal their list of contenders ’til after a 100 years!
October 18th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Wow, that’s really cool! Brilliant AND sneaky man. Still, it’s brought forth much good, so he totally made up for all those people he killed (and still, when you really think about it, continues to kill beyond the grave…spoooooky!). :o)
October 18th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
yes the nobel confers recognition upon those making great contributions, but I don’t think it causes anyone to work harder in the sciences/economics/peace to win it in itself. So it doesn’t lead to anything greater, it just rewards those accomplishments once they’ve already occured with mucho $$.
Alfred’s legacy is that you can do anything you want while you live, as long as you leave a huge trust to do good once you’re gone. This is the model employed by several big philanthropic families- exploit while you can to make the big bucks, and everything is ok as long as you are philanthropic. I don’t know if that is so positive.
October 18th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Ok so this has nothing to do with your post and you probably already know BUT…Barak Obama is going to be on Oprah today. I have my DVR set to record :)
October 18th, 2006 at 4:46 pm
Thanx for the Intell.. now I can’t remember if it is Alfie or Fredie or Alfred..!!!
October 18th, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Darwin: The Dilbert guy is REALLY funny … but a Nobel Prize nominee??? Probably unlikely.
AmyD: It is spooky! :) Almost as spooky as yesterday’s post about the little rat man.
History Chic: I *LOVE* that man!!! :) I couldn’t tape the show because I have a DVD player, and I dumped the VHS.
Momok: FREDDIE. :)
October 18th, 2006 at 11:54 pm
Distar: Hmmmm … all of your comments are held for moderation for some ooooddd reason. I’m gonna check it out and fix whatever is causing the problem.
October 19th, 2006 at 1:35 am
and so we learn something new everyday. Actuallly I didnt know he invented dynamite, pretty ironic.
October 19th, 2006 at 7:50 am
I know. VERY ironic.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:11 am
[...] was a good pick), if you’re interested in learning more about the Nobel prizes and “Le marchand de la mort,” see Wikipedia, Biography, Time or pick up a paperback book on Alfred Nobel’s life. [...]