Rumors of My Death

 

On April 13, 1888, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and blasting caps, was living in Paris and had a rare opportunity to read his own obituary when he opened a newspaper to the surprising news. The newspaper had goofed. In fact, Alfred’s less well-known brother, Ludwig, had died. Nonetheless, Alfred was shocked to see himself ingloriously portrayed as the merchant of death, a "bellicose monster" responsible for boosting the bloody art of war from bullets and bayonets to long-range explosives. Determined to change his image and redeem the family name, Alfred used his wealth to create the now esteemed Nobel Prize, honoring world leaders in peace, science, economics, literature, and medicine.

 

Alfred Nobel

 

Born 21 October 1833(1833-10-21)
Stockholm, Sweden
Died 10 December 1896(1896-12-10) (aged 63)
Sanremo, Italy
Resting place Norra begravningsplatsen, Stockholm
Occupation Chemist, engineer, innovator, armaments manufacturer and inventor.
Known for Invention of dynamite, Nobel Prize

 

Signature

 

If you’re reading this, you still have time to rewrite your obituary.