They were among the first to use the very powerfull mixture of nitroglycerine and gunpowder in their weapons. After the repeted deaths of coworkers during experimentations, Nobel got obsessed with finding a safe methode to handle these highly instable explosives. He eventually came up with a diatomaceous earth combining nitroglycerine and kieselguhr - a cocktail he called 'dynamite'.
Surprisingly enough, Nobel was inclined towards pacifism and expressed reservations about his father's industry. This didn't prevent him from developping an even stronger explosive gelatine along with the misgivings about the potential use of his inventions.
On this day in 1895, shortly before he dies, Nobel finalizes and signs his last will. He wants to leave his whole fortune for the creation of the Nobel Prize, a competition aimed to honor great minds in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, literature and... the promotion of international peace. Let's hope this last minute mesure paved his way to paradise regardless the killing tools he provided to the WWI & II governments.