# Canonical recap data for Nobel Prizes First Awarded in Physics & Chemistry (1901)
# Source: https://recap.at/1901/nobel-prizes-first-1901
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: nobel-prizes-first-1901
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1901/nobel-prizes-first-1901"
title: Nobel Prizes First Awarded in Physics & Chemistry
aliases:
- First Nobel Prizes
- 1901 Nobel Prize ceremony
- Nobel Prize inauguration
subtitle: The inaugural Nobel Prize ceremony established the world's most prestigious award for scientific achievement and created an enduring institution that celebrates human intellectual progress.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1901-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1901
decade: 1900
country:
name: Sweden
slug: sweden
summaryShort: "Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies matter: composition, structure, properties, behavior and the changes they undergo during reactions with other substances. Chemistry also addresses the nature of chemical bonds in"
summaryLong: "Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies matter: composition, structure, properties, behavior and the changes they undergo during reactions with other substances. Chemistry also addresses the nature of chemical bonds in chemical compounds."
lede: On December 10, 1901, Sweden awarded the first Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry, honoring discoveries that had fundamentally altered how scientists understood matter and energy. Wilhelm Röntgen won Physics for discovering X-rays; Jacobus van 't Hoff won Chemistry for his work on chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure. The prizes established what would become history's most prestigious scientific recognition, created from the fortune of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Reaction_Coordinate_Diagram.svg/1280px-Reaction_Coordinate_Diagram.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Chemistry"
importance: 84
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Inaugural ceremony date
  value: December 10, 1901
- label: Physics laureate
  value: Wilhelm Röntgen
- label: Chemistry laureate
  value: Jacobus van 't Hoff
- label: Prize founder
  value: Alfred Nobel (via will, 1895)
- label: Award location
  value: Stockholm, Sweden
- label: Years between Nobel's death and first prizes
  value: 6 years
timeline:
- date: 1895-11-27
  title: Alfred Nobel drafts his will
  description: Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel signs his will in Paris, designating most of his fortune to establish prizes recognizing achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.
- date: 1895-12-10
  title: Alfred Nobel dies
  description: Nobel dies in San Remo, Italy, leaving approximately 31 million Swedish kronor to fund the prizes that would bear his name.
- date: 1900-06-29
  title: Nobel Foundation established
  description: The Swedish government formally establishes the Nobel Foundation to manage Nobel's bequest and administer the prizes according to his will.
- date: 1901-06-21
  title: First laureates announced
  description: The Swedish Academy of Sciences announces Wilhelm Röntgen as Physics laureate and Jacobus van 't Hoff as Chemistry laureate for 1901.
- date: 1901-12-10
  title: First Nobel Prize ceremony
  description: Sweden hosts the inaugural Nobel Prize ceremony on the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. Röntgen and van 't Hoff become the first recipients of these honors.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry"
  title: Chemistry
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The inaugural Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry elevated scientific achievement to the highest cultural honor, establishing a template that would define how the world recognizes intellectual breakthroughs for over a century. The decision to honor Röntgen's X-rays and van 't Hoff's physical chemistry underscored which discoveries mattered most to the scientific establishment at the turn of the century.
categories:
- award
taxonomy:
domain: scientific
eventTypes:
- nobel_prize
canonicalClasses:
- celebration
- discovery
- creation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: The first Nobel Prizes awarded Dec. 10, 1901. Röntgen wins Physics, van 't Hoff wins Chemistry.
wikidataQid: Q2329
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260608103408/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-08
  label: Chemistry
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry"
