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Alfred Nobel (1833-1896, Sweden): Dynamite

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Some inventions cause a big bang on their arrival, and the discovery of dynamite by Alfred Nobel had earth-shaking repercussions. By giving the world a controlled and effective explosive, Nobel opened the doors for ambitious construction projects on a formerly unthinkable scale while simultaneously revolutionising the coal and steel industry.

By the 1860s, explosives had become an integral tool in coalmines and quarries, although safety standards left much to be desired: Miners worked in constant fear of accidental blasts and frequent tragedies tended to outweigh the advantages of explosives.

So Nobel started experimenting with ways to tame the explosive power of nitroglycerine (which would often explode during transport before arrival at the intended blast site). Eventually, he found the answer in combining nitroglycerine with an absorbent inert substance such as siliceous earth, which could absorb three times its own weight in nitroglycerine and still retain its powder form.

Alfred Nobel patented his mixture in 1867 as dynamite. In the patent text, titled "Improved Explosive Compound," he said that the new combination was "far more safe and convenient for transportation, storage, and use, than nitro-glycerine (...) without losing the great explosive power of nitroglycerine."

The same year, Nobel successfully demonstrated his explosive for the first time at a quarry in Redhill, England. News of Nobel's invention spread across the globe like a shockwave. Dynamite became standard in mines, both in cartridge and stick form - the latter becoming iconic in popular culture through cartoons and Westerns.

Outside of mining, dynamite accelerated the construction of railroads across North America, as well as history-making tunnels and sea canals that would bring world markets closer together. And through the Nobel Foundation and the annual Peace Price, the legacy of Alfred Nobel lives on to this day.

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