The first ceremony to award the Nobel Prizes took place on December 10, 1901, the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel‘s death. News articles noted that awards were given in the areas of peace, literature, chemistry, physics and medicine.
Here is a New York Tribune story about the 1901 ceremony:
New York Tribune Image, December 11, 1901
Although it is not clear how important this was to him, a 1888 newspaper obituary error may have helped lead to Nobel’s idea to create the prizes.
According a Forbes.com contributor:
“In 1888, Alfred’s brother Ludvig died while visiting France, and a French newspaper erroneously published Alfred’s obituary. The paper reported, ‘Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.’ It condemned him for his invention of dynamite, saying, ‘Le marchand de la mort est mort.’ (‘The merchant of death is dead.’)
Alfred was concerned about how he’d be remembered and deeply disappointed with what he read. So, on November 27, 1895, at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris, Nobel signed his last will and testament, setting aside the bulk of his massive estate (the equivalent of about US $250 million) to establish the Nobel Prizes.
….Nobel’s attempt to salvage his reputation was ultimately a success…and a model for other men of great wealth who followed.”
Finally, here is a short introduction to Alfred Nobel and his prizes:
