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Thank you. It's the afternoon of September 3, 1864, at a chemical plant in Stockholm, Sweden. 30-year-old Alfred Nobel takes a small beaker of pale, oily liquid and holds it up to the light.

Alfred spent a lot of time in laboratories like this, conducting experiments for his family's chemical business. But today, his hands tremble as he pours a small amount of the yellow

liquid into another test tube, because this substance he holds in his hands is highly

explosive nitroglycerin. 18 years ago, an Italian chemist was the first highly explosive nitroglycerin.

Eighteen years ago, an Italian chemist was the first to create nitroglycerin in a laboratory.

Scientists soon realized that the new chemical could be a useful explosive for the construction industry. But nitroglycerin's highly volatile nature also made it very dangerous to work with.

So over the past few months, Alfred's been conducting experiments with the chemical in the hope of making it more stable. If he can make it safer, he figures his family's business

will stand to make a fortune. Alfred gingerly places the test tube in a rack on his workbench.

Then he tries to set the beaker down just as careful.

A huge explosion rocks the lab and knocks him to the floor.

With his head ringing, Alfred climbs unsteadily to his feet.

He frowns in confusion because the test tube and beaker are still on the workbench.

Only then does Alfred realize that the explosion came from

outside the laboratory in another part of the chemical plant. Alfred rushes out of his lab,

and at once he can see black smoke rising above the shed where the company's explosives are

made. That shed is where Alfred's brother is working. The door is hanging off its hinges,

and the thick smoke means Alfred can't see working. The door is hanging off its hinges,

and the thick smoke means Alfred can't see much.

...