The Engineer Who Won the Physics Nobel Prize (1912 Nobel Prize)

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Does a lighthouse lamp actually deserve the Nobel Prize in Physics? Well, I am Ruturaj Kulkarni and this is episode four of the Nobel Minute. Now, let's spin that wheel.

[00:00:15]Ah, it's landed on 1912, which is a bit sad because if the wheel would have landed on 1956 or 1972, we could have discussed about John Bardeen, the only person who has won the Nobel Prize in Physics twice. But, I guess we'll have to wait for another episode, rather two other episodes to discuss John Bardeen.

[00:00:33]And for today in 1912, we have Gustaf Dalén, the Swedish engineer who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for making a lamp. And you may think, does a lamp deserve the Nobel Prize in Physics? But, his invention helped save thousands of lives at sea.

[00:00:48]In the early 1900s, lighthouses were incredibly expensive and dangerous to run, requiring constant human maintenance.

[00:00:55]Dalén wanted to make a lighthouse that could run completely untouched for a whole year.

[00:01:00]To do this, he used pure physics to invent the sun valve.

[00:01:04]The design was brilliant. He used four metal rods. The central rod was covered in pitch black, while the three surrounding rods were highly polished and reflective.

[00:01:14]During the day, the black rod absorbs the sunlight, heats up, and expands in length. This microscopic physical expansion pushes down a mechanical lever that shuts off the gas. The light goes out automatically.

[00:01:27]Meanwhile, at night or in heavy fog, the black rod cools down, contracts back to its original size, releases the lever, and the beacon lights up.

[00:01:36]Here, the sun itself operates as a switch. This reduced lighthouse costs by 90% and drastically improved global marine safety.

[00:01:44]But today, we have a not-so-fun fact.

[00:01:46]Just months before he was awarded the Nobel Prize, Dalén was testing the limits of an acetylene gas cylinder. It sadly exploded, completely blinding him in both eyes.

[00:01:56]The man who literally gave sight to the oceans now spent the rest of his life in complete darkness, too ill to even collect his own Nobel Prize.

[00:02:04]Yet, he continued his engineering company and kept inventing things until his death.

[00:02:09]Now, Dalen wasn't actually a physicist.

[00:02:12]He was an inventor and an engineer.

[00:02:14]Yet, his win shows us that the Nobel Prize Foundation strictly aligns with Alfred Nobel's last will. That the prize must recognize whatever work brings the greatest benefit to mankind.

[00:02:25]This shows us that you don't need a deep physics degree to win a physics Nobel Prize.

[00:02:30]All you need is an understanding of the laws of nature and the will to better the lives of the people around you.

[00:02:35]And that was the 1912 Nobel Prize in Physics. With that, I'll see you all tomorrow for not another episode of the Nobel Minute, but rather something special that I've planned for you.

[00:02:43]More details on that tomorrow, so stay tuned for that.