Every year on the day of the dynamite king's death, a mourning party gathers in Stockholm and then in Oslo. Music is played, the hall is decorated with flowers (freshly cut from the site of Alfred Nobel's death). And the whole mournful and ritualistic procession ends with the presentation of golden portraits to those who have done "the greatest service to mankind." Encouraging science and the pursuit of peace is, of course, a good thing. But, as it turns out, it is quite controversial. Among the laureates was the "father of chemical warfare," Fritz Haber. Nine times the prize for literature was proposed to be given to murderous thug Stanley Tookie. The man didn't get the prize in the end, but the horror is that he had a real chance of getting it.
In 1939, just three months before Germany invaded Poland, Adolf Hitler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The academics thought that the Führer was ensuring a peaceful future for Europe. However, in 2009, the prize was given to another creator of peace in the world.
Thorbjørn Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee:
The Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to Barack Obama for his outstanding efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation among nations.
"This award reflects the kind of peace that men and women and all Americans want to build. A world that embodies the promise of our founding documents," the 44th U.S. President Barack Obama said.
The American president added that the tools of war have an impact on keeping the peace. "War is sometimes necessary and in some ways war is an expression of people's feelings," said Barack Obama.
