October is the season for Nobel Prizes. Alfred Nobel originally set up his foundation to change the legacy of death he was leaving behind with the invention of dynamite. He invented dynamite to stabilize nitroglycerin, the invention of his teacher. Ascanio Sobrero was born on October 12, 1812 and discovered nitroglycerin when he was a student. He was shocked by the unstable nature of his discovery and constantly warned against its use as an explosive.
Nitroglycerin is primarily used as an explosive or propellant, but it also has uses in medicine. Angina sufferers use small doses of nitroglycerin to widen the blood vessels to ease the pain, lower blood pressure and increase the heart rate.
Find out what else occurred on this day in science history.
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