Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, businessman, and philanthropist Nobel spent most of his adult life creating ever more powerful explosives, - as the inventor of the dynamite, one of the most destructive technologies of the age conveniently devastating weapon of war, especially in the Spanish American War. After reading a prematurely written obituary condemning him for profiting from the sale of arms and munitions wherein a journalist called him “The Merchant of Death”, Nobel bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes considered the most prestigious award in the world in its field. It is awarded to 'those who, during the preceding year, would have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind for peace, chemistry, physics, medicine, and literature. Past laureates include Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway and Albert Camus, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr and Mother Teresa.