Alfred Bernhard Nobel (21 October 1833 - 10 December 1896) was a Swedish chemist; engineer; inventor; businessman; and philanthropist.

Known for inventing dynamite; Nobel also owned Bofors; which he had redirected from its previous role as primarily an iron and steel producer to a major manufacturer of cannon and other armaments. Nobel held 355 different patents; dynamite being the most famous.

After reading a premature obituary which condemned him for profiting from the sales of arms; he bequeathed his fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes. The synthetic element nobelium was named after him.