Jessica shares her birth date (October 21) with Alfred Nobel, famed founder of the Nobel Prize. While the name Nobel is most often associated with a "peace" prize, Alfred in 1867 patented his greatest invention, which he called dynamite, and quickly became very wealthy running an international explosives empire. So how does one who invented a means to destroy become synonymous with a prize awarded to the best and brightest of the world? Well, it takes a mistake, of course.
When, in 1888, his brother Ludvig died and a French newspaper mistakenly reported Alfred's death instead, the obituary called him the "dynamite king," arguing he was a "merchant of death" who spent his life finding new ways to "mutate and kill." Alfred was so upset to be leaving that kind of a legacy that he rewrote his will to establish a set of prizes celebrating the greatest achievements of mankind. And. . . the Nobel Prizes are now awarded every year for chemistry, physics, economics, medicine, literature and peace.
"Thanks for sharing, Aviv," you are likely thinking to yourself. "But how do you plan to make a connection between two clearly disparate topics -- Jessica and Nobel?"
That I'll leave to JJ Walker, of Good Times fame, whose admirable ability to appreciate the inner beauty of women is a prowess many of us aim to cultivate.
No comments:
Post a Comment