Dr Abeba Birhane
@abeba.blacksky.app
54K followers 915 following 5K posts
Founder & PI @aial.ie. Assistant Professor of AI, School of Computer Science & Statistics, @tcddublin.bsky.social AI accountability, AI audits & evaluation. Cognitive scientist by training. Ethiopian in Ireland. She/her
![There is a well-known story about the origin of the Nobel Prize, although historians have been unable to verify it, and some dismiss the story as a myth.[26] In 1888, the death of his brother Ludvig supposedly caused several newspapers to publish obituaries of Alfred in error. One French newspaper[which?] condemned him for his invention of military explosives—in many versions of the story, dynamite is quoted, although this was mainly used for civilian applications—and this is said to have brought about his decision to leave a better legacy after his death.[6] The obituary supposedly stated, Le marchand de la mort est mort ("The merchant of death is dead"),[6] and according to the myth went on to say, "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday."[27] Nobel read the obituary and was appalled at the idea that he would be remembered in this way. His decision to posthumously donate the majority of his wealth to found the Nobel Prize has been credited to him wanting to leave behind a better legacy.[28][6] However, it has been questioned whether or not the obituary in question actually existed.[28] An actual obituary (pictured) stated "A man who can only with the utmost difficulty be considered a benefactor of mankind has died yesterday at Cannes. It is Mr. Nobel, inventor of dynamite. Mr. Nobel was Swedish." It was published on the first page of the Figaro on the 15th of April 1888 and retracted the next day.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:26hkfmtr7jrchexamh7hk6rz/bafkreiamxbpof2omcdylzhjqx5jvddya4qtd2rranqhfr3hqz7m5v7croe)
