Heroes for a Better World

Baroness Bertha von Suttner
(1843-1914)

1st Woman to Win Nobel Peace Prize
1905 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

birthdate: June 9
birthplace:
Prague, Czechoslovakia

Bertha von Suttner (born Countess Bertha Kinsky) received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905 - she was the first woman to receive it, and also the inspiration for the creation of the Nobel Prize. She met Alfred Nobel, a rich millionaire who developed dynamite, by answering his newspaper ad for a secretary. Although she only worked for him for a few weeks to elope with Baron von Suttner, she remained good friends with Alfred Nobel for the next 20 years. When she became involved the peace movement in Europe, she promised to keep Nobel updated on its progress. When Alfred Nobel died in 1896, his will included the establishment of a peace prize, thanks to Bertha von Suttner's influence. Bertha von Suttner was born a Countess in an aristocratic military family, but she spent the second half of her life working for peace. She wrote books, attended peace conferences, gave lectures and helped organize peace societies in Austria, Germany and Hungary, as well as the International Peace Bureau in Switzerland. Her 1891 novel, Lay Down Your Arms, was one of the most influential anti-war books of all time, and helped to make her a leader of the peace movement in Europe. Bertha von Suttner worked so hard for peace because she believed that a terrible war would break out in Europe if nations didn't work hard to establish lasting peace institutions. She made many major accomplishments for a more peaceful world, but two months after she died, World War I broke out. A hundred years after she won the Nobel Peace Prize, nations still seem to view war as an option to work out their problems. But like Bertha von Suttner did, many today are working hard around the world to help strengthen peace institutions and spread the idea that it is time to put an end to war.


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