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The First Nobel Prizes Are Awarded

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded on December 10, 1901, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.

Published · Updated · 1 min read

The Event

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded on December 10, 1901, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.

The Wider Story

Awards recognized work in the fields specified by his will. The peace award was presented in Norway, while the other ceremonies took place in Sweden.

Putting the Event in Perspective

This was not the signing of Nobel's will, which occurred in 1895.

Reading the Historical Record

The economics prize was established much later and should not appear among the original awards.

About the Historical Recreation

The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: an early-twentieth-century Scandinavian award hall with distant formal attendees, no modern Nobel stage. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.

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