What do a 16-year-old Swede girl, a New-Zealand prime minister, a Tibetan monk, and an American pastor all have in common? All these people were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. It is one of the most respected awards in the world. How did it get started? To find it out, we have to go back to the 1800s. Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel is known as an inventor of dynamite. This invention launched his career and was the first step to become a successful businessman. In thirty years, Alfred Nobel became a very rich man; however, he never married and had no children. So he decided that his fortune should be used for prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. These prizes symbolized his contribution to science and his passion for literature. But what about peace? Many of Nobel’s inventions were connected not only with the war industry but also were used for constructive purposes. His interest in peace could have formed the basis of his friendship with the Austrian pacifist named Bertha Von Suttner. This woman headed an international peace movement. Moreover, she was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905. First, there were only such criteria as disarmament, peace congress, and brotherhood between nations to get the prize. But later, the number of awards increased, and today, they include human rights and negotiations. One more important thing is that the prize of one million dollars doesn’t have to go to one person. The prize can be shared among a number of laureates. One laureate of special note is 16-year-old Greta Thunberg. In 2018, she took her first solo picket to the Parliament building and refused to go to school until politicians started complying with the terms of the Paris climate agreement. In a few days, about 1.5 million people joined her protest, and Greta was nominated for the Nobel peace prize. On September 8 of the same year, Greta announced that she was not going to stop. She announced Fridays for the future, calling on everyone to join her fight and hold protests at the houses of Parliament in all countries. She was inspired by the campaign against guns launched by schoolchildren from Florida after 17 people were shot at school. Many young people supported this idea and began to publish reports on their actions on Instagram under the hashtag #Fridaysforfuture. These prizes are the symbols of Nobel's contribution to literature.

Alfred Nobel had a friend from an international peace movement. 

Greta took part in the campaign in Florida.

АняЕнот    2   21.12.2021 01:18    5