Bob Dylan has been awarded a Nobel Prize for literature for the amzing body of work he's produced. It got me thinking. Do you know what Nobel prizes are awarded for? I think we all know about the Peace prize. The rest are Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine .
I was interested to see who from the UK had won a prize. The list is at the bottom of the page. I was rather surprised by some of the names that were there and perhaps some that weren't. Clearly Winston Churchill deserved a Nobel Prize, but for literature? I was also interested to note that David Trimble was the last UK recipient of a Peace prize. Our last winner of a literature prize was Doris Lessing. I'm not really qualified to comment on the prizes for Physics, Chemistry or Medicine. It is good to see Alexander Fleming inventor of Penecillin there. I guess I was surprised that I didn't see Stephen Hawkings name in there. He is probably the physicist who is best known.
Anyway, I thought I'd compile my own list. As I said, I can't really comment too much on the scientific categories, beyond the obvious one.
1. Sir Bob Geldolf/Midge Ure - Peace prize for Live Aid/Band Aid
2. Joni Mitchell - Literature
3. Stephen Hawkings - Physics
4. JK Rowling - Literature
5. Pope Francis - Peace
6. Tim Berners Lee (inventor of the world Wide Web) - Medicine
7. Ken Loach - Peace
8. John Lydon - Literature
9. Julio Palmaz (inventor of the vascular stent) - Medicine
10. Paul Simon - Literature
Here's why
1. Sir Bob Geldolf/Midge Ure - Peace prize for Live Aid/Band Aid
Saved millions of people. I was amazed not to see them in the list.
2. Joni Mitchell - Literature
An awesome wordsmith. If Bob Dylan deserves a prize then Ms Mitchell most certainly does. The list of winners is very light in females. I think women are often overlooked.
3. Stephen Hawkings - Physics
Popularised physics. An inspiration to us all.
4. JK Rowling - Literature
I suspect that no one on the planet has got more people picking up books than JK Rowling. For that alone she deserves the prize. I suspect she's not highbrow enough for the panel.
5. Pope Francis - Peace
For most of my life I've felt a bit embarrassed to say I'm a Roman Catholic. Pope Francis has changed that. A truly spiritual man who seems to me to be doing hs best to spread peace and reconciliation.
6. Tim Berners Lee (inventor of the world Wide Web) - Medicine
Can someone who doesn't work in the field win the prize? Tim Berners Lee should, because the World Wide Web has transformed medicine.
7. Ken Loach - Peace
Ken Loach has spent his life educating us all through his films. I can't think of anyone who deserves a Nobel prize more.
8. John Lydon - Literature
To some this may seem an odd choice, but to me Lydon is the epitome of the triumph of the underdog His lyrics are sharp and difficult and his books spiky, but I believe he's made a huge difference and has taught many of us who felt downtrodden to stand up for ourselves.
9. Julio Palmaz (inventor of the vascular stent) - Medicine
I've got at least half a dozen friends who have been saved by vascular stents. It is one of my missions to get Juli Palmaz a bit of recognition, if for no other reason than he's given me many precious evenings with friends who would probably have died.
10. Paul Simon - Literature
To me another one up there with Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. Simon has done more than anyone to popularise world music. His songs are beautiful and haunting.
And here's the full list of UK winners. I'm both proud of it and slighly disappointed.
United Kingdom
Oliver Hart, Economics, 2016
Fraser Stoddart, Chemistry, 2016
David J. Thouless, Physics, 2016
F. Duncan M. Haldane, Physics, 2016
John M. Kosterlitz, Physics, 2016
Angus Deaton, Economics, 2015
Tomas Lindahl, born in Sweden, Chemistry, 2015
John O'Keefe, born in the United States, Physiology or Medicine, 2014
Michael Levitt*, as an Israeli citizen, Chemistry, 2013
Peter Higgs, Physics, 2013
John B. Gurdon, Physiology or Medicine, 2012
Konstantin Novoselov, born in Russia, Physics, 2010
Robert G. Edwards, Physiology or Medicine, 2010
Doris Lessing, born in Iran, Literature, 2007
Sir Martin J. Evans, Physiology or Medicine, 2007
Oliver Smithies*, Physiology or Medicine, 2007
Harold Pinter, Literature, 2005
Clive W. J. Granger*, Economics, 2003
Anthony J. Leggett*, Physics, 2003
Peter Mansfield, Physiology or Medicine, 2003
Sydney Brenner, born in South Africa, Physiology or Medicine, 2002
John E. Sulston, Physiology or Medicine, 2002
Tim Hunt, Physiology or Medicine, 2001
Paul Nurse, Physiology or Medicine, 2001
V. S. Naipaul, born in Trinidad, Literature, 2001
David Trimble, Peace, 1998
John Pople, Chemistry, 1998
John E. Walker, Chemistry, 1997
Harold Kroto, Chemistry, 1996
James A. Mirrlees, Economics, 1996
Joseph Rotblat*, born in then Russian Empire, now Poland, Peace, 1995
Richard J. Roberts, Physiology or Medicine, 1993
Michael Smith*, Chemistry, 1993
Ronald Coase,based in the United States Economics, 1991
James W. Black, Physiology or Medicine, 1988
Niels Kaj Jerne*, Physiology or Medicine, 1984
César Milstein, born in Argentina, Physiology or Medicine, 1984
Richard Stone, Economics, 1984
William Golding, Literature, 1983
Aaron Klug, born in Lithuania, Chemistry, 1982
John Robert Vane, Physiology or Medicine, 1982
Elias Canetti, born in Bulgaria, Literature, 1981
Frederick Sanger, Chemistry, 1980
Arthur Lewis, born on St. Lucia, Economics, 1979
Godfrey Hounsfield, Physiology or Medicine, 1979
Peter D. Mitchell, Chemistry, 1978
James Meade, Economics, 1977
Nevill Francis Mott, Physics, 1977
Amnesty International, Peace, 1977
Betty Williams, Peace, 1976
John Cornforth, born in Australia, Chemistry, 1975
Christian de Duve*, Physiology or Medicine, 1974
Friedrich Hayek, born in Austria, Economics, 1974
Martin Ryle, Physics, 1974
Antony Hewish, Physics, 1974
Patrick White*, Literature, 1973
Geoffrey Wilkinson, Chemistry, 1973
Brian David Josephson, Physics, 1973
Rodney Robert Porter, Physiology or Medicine, 1972
John Hicks, Economics, 1972
Dennis Gabor, born in Hungary, Physics, 1971
Bernard Katz, born in Germany, Physiology or Medicine, 1970
Derek Harold Richard Barton, Chemistry, 1969
Ronald George Wreyford Norrish, Chemistry, 1967
George Porter, Chemistry, 1967
Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Chemistry, 1964
Andrew Huxley, Physiology or Medicine, 1963
Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, Physiology or Medicine, 1963
John Kendrew, Chemistry, 1962
Max Perutz, born in Austria, Chemistry, 1962
Francis Crick, Physiology or Medicine, 1962
Maurice Wilkins, born in New Zealand, Physiology or Medicine, 1962
Peter Medawar, born in Brazil (British citizen only), Physiology or Medicine, 1960
Philip Noel-Baker, Peace, 1959
Frederick Sanger, Chemistry, 1958
Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd, Chemistry, 1957
Cyril Norman Hinshelwood, Chemistry, 1956
Max Born, born in then Germany, now Poland, Physics, 1954
Winston Churchill, Literature, 1953
Hans Adolf Krebs, born in Germany, Physiology or Medicine, 1953
Archer John Porter Martin, Chemistry, 1952
Richard Laurence Millington Synge, Chemistry, 1952
John Cockcroft, Physics, 1951
Bertrand Russell, Literature, 1950
Cecil Frank Powell, Physics, 1950
John Boyd Orr, Peace, 1949
T. S. Eliot, born in the United States, Literature, 1948
Patrick Blackett, Baron Blackett, Physics, 1948
Edward Victor Appleton, Physics, 1947
Robert Robinson, Chemistry, 1947
Friends Service Council, Peace, 1947
Ernst Boris Chain, born in Germany, Physiology or Medicine, 1945
Alexander Fleming, Physiology or Medicine, 1945
George Paget Thomson, Physics, 1937
Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, Peace, 1937
Norman Haworth, Chemistry, 1937
Henry Hallett Dale, Physiology or Medicine, 1936
James Chadwick, Physics, 1935
Arthur Henderson, Peace, 1934
Norman Angell, Peace, 1933
Paul Dirac, Physics, 1933
Charles Scott Sherrington, Physiology or Medicine, 1932
John Galsworthy, Literature, 1932
Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian, Physiology or Medicine, 1932
Arthur Harden, Chemistry, 1929
Frederick Hopkins, Physiology or Medicine, 1929
Owen Willans Richardson, Physics, 1928
Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Physics, 1927
Austen Chamberlain, Peace, 1925
George Bernard Shaw, born in Ireland, Literature, 1925
John James Rickard Macleod*, Physiology or Medicine, 1923
Francis William Aston, Chemistry, 1922
Frederick Soddy, Chemistry, 1921
Charles Glover Barkla, Physics, 1917
William Henry Bragg, Physics, 1915
William Lawrence Bragg, born in Australia, Physics, 1915
Ernest Rutherford, born in New Zealand, Chemistry, 1908
Rudyard Kipling*, born in India, Literature, 1907
J. J. Thomson, Physics, 1906
John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, Physics, 1904
William Ramsay, Chemistry, 1904
William Randal Cremer, Peace, 1903
Ronald Ross*, born in India, Physiology or Medicine, 1902