While we celebrate the announcement of the Nobel Prize laureates, what do you know about the esteemed honor? Read on to find out 10 unique things about the Nobel Prize and Americans’ knowledge of it.
Who Should Win
When asked to name anyone the respondents believed SHOULD win the Nobel Prize, Donald Trump was the most common answer, followed by Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Michael Jackson, Steve Jobs, and Volodymyr Zelenskyj, respectively, according to survey data.
Can You Name a Winner?
American Respondents were asked to name up to three Nobel Prize winners. 86.7% were not able to name any winners.
History
Named for the Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel, the award is widely considered the most prestigious award for intellectual achievement. In the will drafted by Nobel in 1895, he instructed that his fortune be set aside to fund the annual award.
Multiple Prizes
The Nobel Prize has six categories and was first awarded in 1901. The initial categories were physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace. The prize for Economics was added by the Bank of Sweden in 1968.
Famous or a Prize Winner?
When asked to determine if a person was a Noble winner, one survey gave American respondents a list of 20 people, 10 of whom had won the prize, 10 were just notable people. The top 5 answers were all famous people who have not won the Nobel prize: Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and David Attenborough.
Selection Process
While award winners are announced in October and November, the selection process begins the year prior. Self-nomination immediately disqualifies an applicant, but previous Nobel winners, members of the Nobel institution and scholars in the respected categories submit nominees for the prize.
The Prizes
Winners of a Nobel Prize receive a gold medal, diploma, and a sum of money, which is dependent upon the income of the Nobel Foundation. A prize can be awarded to a single individual or divided between two or three people.
Most Popularly Named
When correctly naming past Nobel Prize winners, Americans correctly identified Albert Einstein, followed by Barack Obama, Marie Curie, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Theresa.
Nobel Prize Stats
102 Nobel Peace prizes have been awarded since 1901. The award was not given out 19 times, many of those years occurring during WW1 and WWII. 69 peace prizes have been given to a single laureate. 31 of the prizes have been shared by two people, and two prizes have been given to three people.
Oldest and Youngest
To date, the oldest recipient of the Nobel Peace prize was Joseph Rotblat, who was 87 years old when he was awarded the prize in 1995. The youngest is Malala Yousafzai, who was 17 years old when she was awarded the 2014 Peace Prize.
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