On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace – the Nobel Prizes. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
A person or organization awarded the Nobel Prize is called Nobel Laureate. The word "Laureate" refers to being signified by the laurel wreath. In Ancient Greece, laurel wreaths were awarded to victors as a sign of honor.
Each prize consists of a medal, personal diploma, and a cash award. 908 Laureates and 27 organizations have been awarded the Nobel Prize between 1901 and 2018. Of them, 81 are Laureates in Economic Sciences. A small number of individuals and organizations have been honored more than once, which means that 904 individuals and 24 unique organizations have received the Nobel Prize in total.
For a complete, updated list of all the Jewish Nobel Laureates: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureates.
The importance of highlighting those genius acts that both inspire us AND change the world for the better brings us together in hope and prosperity.
The five partner organizations here at the Center for Jewish History hold dozens of collections and hundreds of books highlighting individuals who have advanced science and medicine, written classic works of literature and poetry, changed the way we think about the world's economic welfare, and contributed so much to the world's focus on peace. We hope by browsing this libguide you learn more about their achievements, our collections, and how to experience these materials for yourself, first-hand.
Please email inquiries@cjh.org if you have any additional questions about the thousands of books, archival collections, and museum objects available to use for research at the Center.
For more information on the Center's partners, please click below for their organizational websites: