TRIVIAL PURSUITS: Who Received the First Nobel Prizes?

Physics – Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen “in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named after him.”

Chemistry – Jacobus Henricus van ‘t Hoff “in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions.”

Medicine – Emil Adolf von Behring “for his work on serum therapy, especially its application against diphtheria, by which he has opened a new road in the domain of medical science and thereby placed in the hands of the physician a victorious weapon against illness and deaths.”

Literature – Sully Prudhomme “in special recognition of his poetic composition, which gives evidence of lofty idealism, artistic perfection and a rare combination of the qualities of both heart and intellect.”

Peace – Jean Henry Dunant, originator Geneva Convention and founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, and Frédéric Passy, founder and president of first French peace society.