The Nobel Prize was established by the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist, engineer and armament manufacturer who invented dynamite. He established the prize reportedly because a French newspaper erroneously published his obituary in 1888, calling him the “merchant of death” and saying, “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.” Upon reading his own obit, he wanted to change how the world would remember him, so he decided to leave the bulk of his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes. He wanted them to be awarded annually to those who confer the “greatest benefit to mankind” without distinction of nationality.
So who was overlooked? Certainly the 12 black winners of the Nobel Prize deserved to be recognized for their world-class work and their impact on humanity. But 12 blacks out of 813 laureates? That’s less than 1.5% of all winners.
Here are a few black people who perhaps were overlooked by Nobel juries.
1. George Washington Carver (1864 – 1943)
Nobel Prize in Agriculture
Country: United States
Believed to have been born into slavery, this American scientist, botanist, educator and inventor is best-remembered for his work with peanuts. He helped change the course of U.S. agriculture. He promoted planting peanuts and sweet potatoes as alternatives to cotton, both as sources of their own food and as products that could improve their quality of life. He published 44 bulletins for farmers. They contained 105 recipes for peanuts. He also created 100 products made from peanuts, including cosmetics, dyes, paints, plastics, gasoline and nitroglycerin. His work contributed to improving race relations. In 1941, Time magazine called him a “Black Leonardo,” referring to Leonardo da Vinci.
