The Beginnings of the Nobel Institution: The Science Prizes, 1901-1915The Nobel Prizes have long been the most prestigious awards in the world of science. Established according to the wishes expressed in the will of Alfred Nobel (1895), the annual awards began in 1901. The Nobel Archives preserve the detailed study of the inner workings of the prize committees, and the archival documents, available for historical research since 1974, open the door to important new scholarship in the history and sociology of the prizes. Elisabeth Crawford was one of the first to gain access to the Nobel Archives at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and in this book she analyzes the early history of the prizes in physics and chemistry. Crawford sets out in detail the story of the intricate inner workings of the process whereby the prizewinners were selected. A fascinating picture of the contemporary international scientific establishment emerges, one shedding light on how the developing Nobel institution became enmeshed in speciality and other networks, notably those of Arrhenius and Mittag-Leffler, the two Swedish scientists who were best known internationally at the time. While the general development of disciplines and the standing of scientists in international and national communities heavily influenced the selection process, the cases presented in this book show that the specific choices of specialities, discoveries, and people to be honored were determined by the Swedish participants in the process. The question of how, after some initial uncertainties, the Nobel Prizes became synonymous with the highest achievements in science and culture is also addressed. This detailed study of the birth of what have become science's highest accolades will interest historians and scientists alike. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | vii |
Introduction | 1 |
Precursors to the Nobel prizes in the sciences | 10 |
Developments in Swedish and international science having a bearing on the Nobel institution | 30 |
Implementing the will of Alfred Nobel 18961900 | 60 |
An overview of the nominating system and its influence on the prize decisions | 87 |
Networks at work in the prize selections Arrhenius and MittagLeffler | 109 |
Committee decision making | 150 |
Provisions in the will of Alfred Nobel establishing the prizes | 217 |
The statutes of the Nobel Foundation and the special regulations concerning the distribution of prizes from the Nobel Foundation by the Royal Swedi... | 219 |
Members of the Nobel Committees for Physics and Chemistry elected 19001915 | 236 |
Nobel prizewinners in physics and chemistry 19011915 | 238 |
A note on sources and notes | 242 |
Notes | 247 |
| 270 | |
| 277 | |
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The Beginnings of the Nobel Institution: The Science Prizes, 1901-1915 Elisabeth T. Crawford No preview available - 1984 |
Common terms and phrases
Academy of Sciences Alfred Nobel Ångström Arrhenius's atomic awarding the prizes Bjerknes candidacy candidates Carl Lindhagen Carlheim-Gyllensköld century Chapter chemistry committee chemists Committees for Physics concerning countries discovery executors experimental foreign France French Academy fysik German Hasselberg honors important interest J. J. Thomson Karolinska Institute kemi Knut Ångström KVAB laureates letter Lindhagen Lorentz major Marie Curie mathematical physics medals Mittag-Leffler Mittag-Leffler's mittee Nernst Nobel Committee Nobel Foundation Nobel Institute Nobel prizes Nobelprotokoll nominating system opinion Ostwald Painlevé particularly Pettersson physical chemistry physicists physics and chemistry physics committee physics prize Planck Poincaré prize awarders prize decisions prize selections prize-awarding institutions prizes in physics professor proposed Protokoll receive the prize recommendation represented role Rutherford scientific community Society Söderbaum Sohlman special report statutes Stockholm Högskola SUB-KVAB Svante Arrhenius Sweden Swedish science Swedish scientists theory Uppsala University Uppsala University Library van't Hoff votes Widman