Every year on December 10th, the Nobel Prize ceremony is held in Stockholm, Sweden. This ceremony awards the Noble Prizes to those people who are deemed to have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. This ceremony is held on the 10th of December because that’s when its creator Alfred Nobel died in 1896. Everyone around the world watches the Nobel Prize Ceremony on Nobel Prize Day every year and has been since 1901.

The History Of Nobel Prize Day

To trace the history of Nobel Prize Day, we have to go back to the life of Alfred Noble. Alfred Noble was born on October 21, 1833, in Stockholm, Sweden. He was born to a family of engineers and did well in school. He would go on to become a chemist, inventor, and engineer. He would go on to invent ballistite—a precursor to many smokeless military explosives. He also invented dynamite and over 350+ other inventions that allowed him to become extremely rich during his lifetime.

On December 10, 1896, Alfred Nobel suffered a stroke and ended up dying. His last will and testament placed 96% of his wealth into the Nobel Foundation. Starting in 1901, the Nobel Foundation began to award Nobel Prizes to people who provide the greatest benefit to mankind in the areas of Chemistry, Physics, Physiology, Medicine, Peace, and Literature. From 1901 through 2020, approximately 603 prizes have been awarded to 962 laureates.

Facts About The Nobel Prize

If you’re looking for more facts about the Nobel Prize, then you might want to check out this section of our article on Nobel Prize Day. We’ve found out everything we could about this prize, so we could lay this knowledge on anyone reading about this holiday.

• 934 Laureates and 28 different organizations have been awarded a Nobel Prize between 1901 and 2020 for a total of 962 prizes awarded.
• Of the prizes given between 1901 and 2020, 114 have been in Physics, 112 in Chemistry, 111 in Medicine, 113 in Literature, 101 in Peace, and 52 in Economic Sciences.
• Of the prizes up until 2020, 108 of them have been shared by three Laureates.
• In 1916, 1931, 1934, 1940, 1941, and 1942, no Nobel Prizes for Physics were awarded.
• The youngest Nobel Laureates were Malala Yousafzai in Peace (2014) and Lawrence Bragg in Physics in 1915. Malala was 17-years old and Bragg was 25-years old.
• Up until 2020, 57 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to women.
• Jean-Paul Sartre declined the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964.
• Le Duc Tho declined the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize.
• Adolf Hitler forbade three German Nobel Laureates from accepting the prize. These three were Adolf Butenandt, Richard Kuhn, and Gerhard Domagk.

Observing Nobel Prize Day

Nobel Prize Day can be observed by watching the Nobel Prize Ceremony online, by learning more about Alfred Noble, or by learning about past and present Nobel Laureates. You can also use the hashtag #NobelPrizeDay on your social media accounts to spread the word about this holiday.