Nobel Prize Laureates

The history of the Nobel Prize

The Nobel Foundation was established by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, then known as ‘Nobels safety powder’. His will stipulated that the interest from his foundation’s capital be divided yearly among five categories to honour outstanding performance in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Peace. The first Nobel Prize award ceremony took place December 10, 1901.

ETH Zurich has association with 21 Nobel Prize winners, who at the time of their awards were engaged as professors at ETH Zurich, or had studied or researched there, and who received the Nobel Prize in recognition of their singular performance. A further 16 Swiss personalities and institutions have been honoured with a Nobel Prize.

Nobel Prize Laureates of ETH Zurich