How did Dynamite cause the Nobel Peace Prize?

Who Smarted? - Educational Podcast for Kids

This episode of Who Smarted? explores the history and purpose behind the prestigious Nobel Prize. Through a conversation with the 'historica

Key takeaways

• Alfred Nobel established the prize using his fortune from inventing dynamite and blasting caps to honor those helping humanity.
• The Nobel Prize consists of a medal, a diploma, and a cash reward.

Main topics

• Origin of the Nobel Prize
• Alfred Nobel's inventions

Notable quotes

I did not want to be remembered for inventing things that were often used as weapons.

Conclusion

A delightful educational journey that connects historical scientific b

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) Hey, Smarty Pants, what do you do when you want to wake up at a certain time? Did you say set an alarm clock? Great answer. But what if you were corn growing in a field? I guess you could just check a different corn each day until you get lucky. Or you could just ask an expert. Oh my gosh, it's my friend Elmer from one of my favorite podcasts, The Super Smart Farm Show. What are you doing here? Speaker 1 (0:24) I heard you talking about corn. And you know that I know a whole lot about corn. Speaker 3 (0:30) I do. So what do you say, Elmer? Can you help solve the mystery of how farmers know their corn is ripe? Well, for one thing, you look at the color. You also Speaker 1 (0:39) check if the husk is dried out. And last but not least, you do the thumbnail test. Speaker 3 (0:44) The thumbnail test? What's that? You press a kernel of corn with your thumbnail. If it squirts out something milky and white, that corn is sweet and ready to eat. If it feels more like dough in there, then you need to wait. Next time I visit a farm, you know I'm going to be poking some corn. Just don't do it at the supermarket. That corn is all ripe and ready to go. Got any more kernels for me? Yep, and not just corn. We talk about pretty much anything that's farm-related on the Super Smart Farm Show. Follow the Super Smart Farm Show wherever you're listening to us now. Say, what other foods do you poke? Tomatoes? Lettuce? Spinach? Yeah, just listen and find out. See you on the farm, trusty. And now it's time for Who Smarted? Hey, Smarty Pants, do you like winning prizes? I love winning prizes, like when I won second place in my sixth grade spelling bee or third place in my high school science Olympiad. Ooh, and of course, I took first place in my local pizzeria's pizza eating contest last weekend. Yep, those were some pretty special moments. Call out any prizes you may have won, Smarty Pants. Nice! And no worries if you've never won a prize. Just taking part in a competition and giving it your all can be very rewarding and lots of fun, too. Unless it's a pizza-eating contest. To eat all that pizza and not win would really stink. Anyway, today we're going to learn about a really special prize called the Nobel Prize. Some people mistakenly think it's called the Noble Prize, which kind of makes sense since it's pretty noble or honorable to win one. but it's actually called the Nobel Prize. Do you know why it's called the Nobel Prize? Speaker 1 (2:31) That's easy. It's because you don't get any bells with your prize. Speaker 1 (2:39) No, no, no, no, no. Stop those bells. That's right. Speaker 3 (2:42) This is a Nobel Prize. No, no, no, Grandma. The Nobel Prize has nothing to do with bells. Oh. Does it have anything to do with meatcake? Definitely not. Although, anyone who can finish one of your meatcakes probably deserves a prize. But no. So, why is it called the Nobel Prize? Speaker 2 (3:01) Perhaps I could help answer that question, trusty. Speaker 3 (3:04) Ah, now we're talking. Smartypants, meet Alfred Nobel. He's one of our historical guests that only a podcast like Who Smarted could get, namely because he's been dead since 1896. But thanks to the miracle of time travel and suspension of disbelief, here he is now to help us learn about the prize that bears his name. You've got that right, Speaker 2 (3:25) trusty. Speaker 3 (3:25) Also, Speaker 2 (3:26) I'd love to enter one of those pizza-eating contests. Trust me, you have no shot. I'm unbeatable. Speaker 3 (3:32) Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom. Anyway, Alfred Nobel is here to help us learn things like... What is the Nobel Prize? How do you win it? And who are some of the people who have won past Nobel Prizes? I don't