Sanremo, Italy.
The sea breeze stirred up Nobel's clothes and messed up his gray hair. He turned around and faced the sea:
"What a mystery, a mystery like the vast sea! I pursue science, accept peace, and pray for progress. I have given everything I have for this. I am not married. , no children. I always thought that my inventions were my sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters... However, my most important invention, my 'eldest son', explosives, was directly used in war, making the war More cruel, more people died in the war!" He sighed, "Everything is a mystery. Nature is a mystery, and human beings are even more mysterious! I am almost 60 years old, but in my eyes, everything is a mystery. Everything is still a mystery!"
Nobel actually always had his own considerations about the relationship between science and war, and about how to achieve long-term peace in the world.
Nobel pursued science and peace throughout his life, and believed that the two were closely linked. He also loved literature very much. It seemed that his ideal of using science to stop war would be impossible to realize in his lifetime. However, he still did not give up his pursuit. He was still determined to dedicate everything he had to his ideal.
Now, Nobel knew that he would not have much time left in this world. He asked himself: What else could he leave for this world? All he owns is that huge amount of property. However, no matter how much material wealth there is, it will eventually be exhausted. Why not let this property be used to encourage, protect, and support people's pursuit of noble activities such as science, literature, and peaceful causes? ? How to let these properties play their due role in people's noble spiritual activities? This idea excited and enriched Nobel, so he wrote a four-page will, finally clarifying the arrangements for his estate. He handed this will (zhǔ) to a bank in Stockholm for safekeeping.
On December 10, 1896, Alfred Nobel died of illness in his villa in Sanremo. His body was transported back to his home country, cremated, and buried with solemn ceremony in a family tomb in the Northern Cemetery in Stockholm (mó), where he was laid to rest with his parents and younger brother Emil.
After his death, he left a suicide note that will forever benefit mankind. The main content is as follows:
My remaining assets must be turned into money and kept in a safe place; this An asset becomes a fund, and its interest should automatically become a bonus, which is distributed once a year to those who have made the most contributions to mankind in the past year.
The above-mentioned interest shall be divided into five equal parts and distributed according to the following method:
One share shall be awarded to the person who has made the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics;
One award is given to the person who has made the most important discovery in physiology or medicine;
One award is given to the person who has made new discoveries or improvements in practical chemistry;
One Awarded to the person who has written the most outstanding works in literature;
The last prize winner is the person who can make the greatest efforts to effectively promote international cooperation, abolish or reduce the standing army, and can form a peace meeting people.
The executor of my suicide note is Laguna Solman (he is a Swede who worked abroad with Nobel and is a good friend of Nobel).
......
I really hope that when awarding prizes, the nationality, ethnicity, skin color and any issues of the recipients will not be considered, and who is the best winner should be reviewed The author...
After Nobel's suicide note was announced, the executor Laguna Solman immediately began to liquidate his property, sell off Nobel's shares in factories around the world, and form a Nobel Foundation.
After paying (jiǎo) property tax, Nobel’s estate becomes the fund of the Nobel Foundation, with a total amount of more than 31 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to 2 million pounds (bànɡ).
The foundation’s charter and award-awarding organization were officially announced by the King of Sweden at the Swedish Parliament on June 29, 1900.
The Nobel Foundation has since become an organization that carries out independent activities and is not subject to government management. Its representative is the board of directors, which consists of 5 members, one of whom is appointed as the chairman of the board of directors, who is appointed by the Swedish government, and other directors are designated by various award-giving groups.
The charter of the Nobel Foundation consists of 22 main articles and 4 temporary regulations. The first 13 articles are general regulations related to selection, the last 8 articles are the methods for managing the foundation, and the last one is Provisions regarding changes to the Articles of Association.
The awarding organizations specified in the charter are as follows:
1. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Responsible for awarding the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
2. Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Responsible for awarding the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
3. Swedish Academy. Responsible for awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature.
4. Norwegian Nobel Committee. Responsible for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize.
Because Norway and Sweden were the closest alliance countries when Nobel died, Nobel designated Norway to award the Peace Prize in his will.
Later, due to the increasing prestige of the Nobel Prize, the Swedish Bank decided to establish the Economics Prize in 1968 on the occasion of its 300th anniversary. Its full name is: Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.
Swedish Bank notifies the Nobel Foundation through a donation to pay an amount each year (equivalent to the amount of a Nobel Prize in the same year, plus an additional 65% as the cost of the selection work). handled by it.
Since 1969, the Nobel Foundation has awarded the Economics Prize to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and held an award ceremony together with other Nobel Prizes at the same time.
In addition to the above-mentioned awarding organizations, the Nobel Foundation Charter also stipulates the application and evaluation levels for the Nobel Prize.
Applications for the Nobel Prize are not made directly by individuals or groups with research results, but mainly through recommendations: introducing good people or things to people or organizations in the hope of appointing or accepting them. way.
Every September, the Nobel Committee sends a notice to relevant scientists, institute members and university scholars around the world to solicit their nominations for the next year’s Nobel Prize candidates; on February 1 of the following year Previously, these recommendations had to be sent to the Nobel Committee (the Board of Governors of the Nobel Foundation).
Starting from February 1st, the Nobel Committee will conduct a preliminary screening of the recommended materials for award-winning candidates, and the affiliated Nobel Institute will investigate and study the recommended research results.
After detailed analysis and heated debate, committee members submitted secret reports and recommendation materials to each award-winning agency in the autumn of the same year.
Each awarding organization will use secret voting to determine the selection results after reviewing the candidates and their results after the preliminary selection. The selection results will be announced around mid-October.
The entire process is conducted in strict confidentiality.
Among the various awards, except for the Peace Prize, prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and economics are only awarded to individuals. If a result is obtained by two or three people, the bonus will be divided equally; if two or three people obtain a certain research result at the same time, the bonus will be divided equally. However, the number of winners of one award shall not exceed 3.
The Peace Prize is awarded to individuals in most cases, but it can also be awarded to institutions and social organizations.
When the Nobel Prize first began, it was only US$31,000 to US$72,000, depending on the discipline.
Later, due to the continuous development of the foundation and donations from various social groups, it had grown to approximately US$1.43 million in 1994.
The names of each award winner will be remembered forever and enjoy the greatest honor forever.