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1908 Nobel Prize: Rivalry and Biases Shape Winner

10/2/2025

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Story summary
  • Gabriel Lippmann won the 1908 Nobel Prize amid rivalry between Svante Arrhenius and Gustaf Mittag-Leffler.
  • Arrhenius favored Max Planck. Mittag-Leffler argued against him, shaping the final decision.
  • Knut Ångström, committee chair, acknowledged Lippmann as deserving but regarded Planck's work as more significant.
  • Historian Karl Grandin notes biases and nationalistic sentiments influenced the award, and voting details are not recorded.