一亩二分地

Nowadays, Nobel Prize in science, include chemistry, physics, and physiology, always goes to fundamental research and important discovery. Technology doesn’t fall into its consideration. So, even with Apple II in 1970s and iPod in 21st century, Steve Jobs definitely won’t get a Nobel Prize. Neither did Henry Ford.

However, based on Alfred Nobel’s original will, he would like to give the prize to the most important discovery or invention in physics, and to the most important discovery or improvement in chemistry. As a result, in early last century, some lucky technology guys did get Nobel Prize. For example, the 1908 physics prize honored color photography, and the 1909 prize awarded wireless radio.

Finally, the 1912 Physics Nobel Prize draw howls of derision. It was planned to honor to Heike Kamerlingh Onnes for his ground breaking research in superconductivity. But some power guy from industial pushed the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to give the prize to a Swedish, who invented automatic switch for lamps in the lighthouse, instead. I guess Victor Grignard, the chemist who discovered Grignard reagent and got Chemistry Nobel Prize in 1912, wasn’t very happy to meet that Swedish inventor on the ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall.

The good thing was that the Swedish Academy realized their mistake and awarded the 1913 physics prize to Heike K. Onnes. And they wisely decided that a practical technology that could start a company wouldn’t be eligible for a Nobel Prize any more.

Another popular story is about Albert Einstein, he was nominated Nobel Prize for his theory of relativity for several times. But all failed. Because a powerful guy in the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences didn’t believe relativity. He insisted that it would be a shame to give the prize to a thoery that might be proved wrong in future.

You know, Einstein had to get a Nobel Prize, just like I have to get an iPod nano, while both of them have nothing to do with what Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences think. In 1921, a young academy member, Carl W. Oseen, creatively nominated Einstein again for his photoelectric effect, another Nobel-worthy theory. Everybody was happy with this tradeoff.

Anyway, it has been more than 100 years for Nobel Prize. The Swedish did a really good job with few mistakes. They may missed some eligible candidates. But nearly all Nobel Prize laureates are people who deserve it.

I just have one more suggestion: besides Nobel Prize in Economics, they should set up another new prize: Nobel Prize in Laziness. I could be a competitive candidate then