Alfred Nobel: The Man Who Made a Fortune from Explosives and Guilt

Alfred Nobel is a paradox of a figure. To the majority, his name evokes the Nobel Prizes—the golden medals handed out annually to the most brilliant scientists, peacekeepers and literary minds of the world.

The name signifies legacy, intellect, and virtue. But what if I told you that the man who created this tribute to human achievement was, at his core, a merchant of death?

It was the mid-19th century and dynamite was changing the world. It allowed tunnels to be carved through mountains, ra...