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Nobel Prize Facts: Malala, Marie Curie, Posthumous Awards, and Nobel's Poetry Revealed
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CNBC TV18•05-10-2026, 08:25
Nobel Prize Facts: Malala, Marie Curie, Posthumous Awards, and Nobel's Poetry Revealed
- •Since 1901, the Nobel Prizes have honored individuals and organizations for significant contributions to humanity, fulfilling Alfred Nobel's vision.
- •Several Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including Carl von Ossietzky, Aung San Suu Kyi, Liu Xiaobo, Ales Bialiatski, and Narges Mohammadi, were unable to attend their award ceremonies due to detention or house arrest.
- •Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel laureate at 17, while John Goodenough was the oldest at 97, highlighting the diverse age range of recipients.
- •Posthumous awards were permitted before 1974, with Dag Hammarskjold and Erik Axel Karlfeldt receiving the prize after their deaths; Ralph Steinman was also awarded posthumously due to a timing oversight.
- •Women have received only 68 of 633 Nobel Prizes, with Marie Curie being the sole woman to win two Nobel Prizes in different scientific fields.
- •Alfred Nobel, known for inventing dynamite, also had a passion for poetry, writing extensively in both Swedish and English throughout his life.
Key Questions Answered
The 2026 Nobel Prize winners will be announced between October 5 and October 12, beginning with the Nobel Prize in Medicine on Monday.
In 2014, 17-year-old Pakistani human rights activist Malala Yousafzai became the youngest-ever winner of a Nobel Prize.
Since 1974, Nobel Foundation statutes state that the prize cannot be awarded posthumously unless the recipient dies between the announcement in October and the ceremony in December.
