Alfred Nobel
1833-1896
Mining has always been dangerous work. Gunpowder had unpredictable results, but Nobel found that by combining nitroglycerin with an absorbent clay it became safer to handle. He patented this mixture in 1867 as ‘dynamite'.
In 1888 Alfred's brother died and a French newspaper accidentally published a death notice of Alfred rather than his brother. It blamed him for destruction because of his invention of dynamite. This inspired him to leave a better legacy after his death. He is still remembered today at the awarding of the Nobel prizes.
In class activities:
- Discussed the dangers of mining
- Learned about the invention of dynamite
- Made our own mock dynamite sticks
- Brainstormed what we want to include on our inventor posters
- Used finger paints to create explosion art
- Learned about the creation of the Nobel Prizes
Optional lesson extension activities:
- Read: Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize (True Stories)
- Learn about recent Nobel Prize winners at http://www.nobelprize.org
- Read 1 article or book about your inventor or invention of choice. Bring to class one full page image of the invention. Please write the source on the bottom corner of your image.
- (Because this is for personal educational use, images may be photocopied from books or printed from http://images.google.com)
- Practice your timeline
