On 10 December 1901, the Nobel Prizes were awarded for the very first time.
Following lengthy negotiations — partly with the French government, which sought to impose a heavy tax on Alfred Nobel’s fortune, and partly with the Nobel family regarding inheritance issues — the conditions were finally set for the distribution of the five prizes outlined in Nobel’s will.
The First Nobel Ceremonies
The first award ceremonies were divided between two capitals.
The prizes for Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, and Literature were presented in Stockholm, while the Peace Prize ceremony took place in Christiania (the Norwegian capital later renamed Oslo).
Five years had passed since Nobel died in San Remo on 10 December 1896, at the age of 63. The period leading up to the awards was marked by tension and strict secrecy. Unlike today, when laureates are announced a month in advance, in 1901 the names were kept hidden until the day of the ceremony.
First Laureates Become Public
When three distinguished German scholars arrived by train and checked into the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, speculation quickly arose — at that time, international travel was limited, and the arrival of foreign figures was significant news.
During the ceremony at Stockholm’s Academy of Music, the hall gradually filled with elegantly dressed guests. The laureates entered quietly, without the fanfare and applause typical of modern ceremonies.
The first prizewinners were:
- Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen – Physics
- Hendricus van ’t Hoff – Chemistry
- Emil Adolf von Behring – Medicine
- The French Minister of Education, receiving the Literature Prize on behalf of poet Sully Prudhomme, who was ill
Meanwhile in Christiania (Oslo), the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to:
- Henri Dunant, Swiss founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross
- Frédéric Passy, French economist and peace activist
These awards marked the birth of a tradition that would become one of the world’s most prestigious recognitions of human achievement.
