Named after the Swedish chemist, engineer and businessman who invented dynamite, the Nobel Prizes were established with the fortune he left as a donation upon his death on December 10, 1896, and are bestowed annually in recognition of academic, cultural, or scientific advances. The inventor’s will bequeathed 94% of his wealth towards the establishment of 5 prizes (Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and a Peace Prize), which were to be awarded by 5 specific institutions to those who “during the preceding year conferred the greatest benefit on mankind”.

Nobel’s testamentary dispositions stirred controversy, with the appointed organizations accepting the responsibility after considerable deliberation and awarding the first prizes only 5 years later. The sixth Nobel Prize (in Economics) was established in 1968 by Swedish central bank Sveriges Riksbank through a donation in memory of Alfred Nobel.

To celebrate the upcoming edition of the Nobel Prize Ceremony, we have created a timeline which pinpoints a series of significant milestones in the history of the event.

Unlike the current practice of announcing the annual laureates well ahead of the ceremony date, the inaugural edition kept the winners’ names undisclosed until the very day of awarding the prizes. These were:

• German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered X-rays, was the laureate of the first Nobel Prize in Physics;
• Dutch physical chemist Jacobus H. van ‘t Hoff, explaining the importance of osmotic pressure in plant and animal life, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry;
• Emil von Behring was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of a diphtheria antitoxin;
• Retired French engineer turned into poet Sully Prudhomme won the first Nobel Prize in Literature;
• Swiss social activist Henry Dunant, founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, shared the first Nobel Peace Prize with international pacifist Frédéric Passy.

The Nobel Prize chronology was built with Office Timeline, an intuitive PowerPoint add-in which helps you create professional-looking timelines and Gantt charts with ease. The slide is free to download and share and can be updated or restyled using Office Timeline Plus Edition.

Download the Nobel Prize Timeline for PowerPoint here.

On the 30th of November, 1835, one of America’s greatest writers was welcomed into the world in the small town of Florida, Missouri. Born as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the author of two major classics in American literature – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – would work as a typesetter and riverboat pilot before dedicating himself to a full-time writing career. It’s from the latter occupation that his pen name, Mark Twain, was inspired, meaning "safe to navigate" in sailing lingo.

To honor the memory of the one whom William Faulkner called "the father of American literature," we have created the Mark Twain Timeline, which highlights some of his most notable life events and works.

After his father’s death when he was 11, the young Samuel left school after the fifth grade and became a printer’s apprentice. Upon completing the training, he took work as a typesetter at his older brother's local newspaper, contributing articles and humorous sketches. After coming of age, he left home to work as a printer in various cities, educating himself in public libraries in the evening.

While in St. Louis, he began learning the art of piloting steamboats and earned his pilot license two years later, which would bring him regular employment. Adventurous, well-paid and seen as high-status (akin to flying a jetliner nowadays), his piloting service was however cut short by the outbreak of the Civil War. This determined him to travel West, where he began working for several newspapers.

It was while in this line of work that he managed to hone his distinctive narrative style – a mix of humor and satire, deflating the pretentious and exploring the American realities with wit, effervescence and keen eye for truth. The colloquialism that Mr. Twain used to convey vivid and raw aspects of life inspired many generations of modern American writers.

The Mark Twain chronology was built using the lightweight PowerPoint add-in Office Timeline, which allows users to generate eye-catching timelines and similar visuals with only a few clicks. You can copy and share the slide for free, and further edit it using Office Timeline Plus Edition.

Download the Mark Twain Timeline for PowerPoint here.

This Saturday marks 27 years since the death of iconic artist Freddie Mercury. Best known as the lead vocalist of the British rock band Queen, Mr. Mercury mesmerized fans and fellow entertainers with his exuberant stage persona and amazing vocal range, continuing to inspire numerous listeners even to this day. Authoring many of Queen’s hits, such as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, and “We Are the Champions”, he proved to be not only a skillful singer, but also a tremendously talented songwriter.

To bring an homage to the one considered as one of the best singers of all time, we have created the Freddie Mercury Timeline, which summarizes the life of Queen’s front man.

Born as Farrokh Bulsara in the British protectorate of Zanzibar, he moved with his family to England in 1964 and joined a band called Smile three years later. Soon after, young Mercury would take over as the lead singer, rename the band as Queen, and use his skills in Art and Design (college diploma) to create its now famous logo. But his biggest contribution to the fame of the band consisted of him composing some of its best-known songs.

In 1974, armed with an advance copy of Bohemian Rhapsody, Mr. Mercury accepted to make a guest appearance on Kenny Everett’s radio show and handed it to the host. Although Everett initially doubted that any radio station would play a song that exceeded 6 minutes, he nevertheless played it and declared after the audition: “forget it, it’s going to be number one for centuries.”

The Freddie Mercury chronology was created with the Office Timeline add-in for Powerpoint, a user-friendly tool that generates eye-catching timelines and other visuals almost instantly. The slide, which is free to copy and share, can be further restyled using Office Timeline Plus Edition.

Download the Freddie Mercury Timeline for PowerPoint here.

Yesterday, comics book legend Stan Lee died at the age of 95 because of complications from pneumonia. By creating iconic characters such as Spider-man, the X-Men and Black Panther, not only did he turn the small division of pulp magazines for which he was working into the well-known brand Marvel Comics, but he also contributed to superhero movies becoming the lifeblood of the blockbuster industry.

To pay tribute to the one who has revolutionized the superhero archetype and was a pioneering force in this niche, we have created the Stan Lee Timeline, which highlights important life events and some of his most enduring characters.

In collaboration with other artists, Mr. Lee introduced superheroes with a more humane and flawed identity that challenged the standards of the idealistically perfect figures that populated the comics magazines of pre-Marvel era. Thus, these figures would struggle with everyday worries like paying rent or wondering about their purpose in life. They would have fits of bad temper, melancholy or vanity. Endowing his characters with a more naturalistic personality, developing the first black heroes in the comics business and employing new methods of storytelling, the Marvel visionary ushered a new era and saw his work become a huge influence in the movie industry.

The Stan Lee chronology was built with Office Timeline, a simple yet powerful plugin for PowerPoint that allows users to generate professional-looking timelines and other similar visuals almost instantly. You can copy and share the image for free and further restyle it using Office Timeline Plus Edition.

Download the Stan Lee Timeline for PowerPoint here.

Today, planetary scientist, cosmologist and pop-culture icon Carl Sagan would have turned 84. Best known for his work as a science popularizer and communicator in astronomy and other natural sciences, he brought a significant contribution to the field through his research on extraterrestrial life and was the one to assemble the first physical messages sent into space.

To bring an homage to the creator of Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, the most popular series in American public television, we have built the Carl Sagan Timeline, which overviews his life and achievements.

Promoting the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and pioneering exobiology - the scientific field concerned with the origin and evolution of life in the universe - Carl Sagan explained space in its perplexing glory like no one did before. Having served as an astronomy professor at Cornell University for almost 30 years, authored a plethora of academic papers and books, and worked on NASA's robotic missions, he built an astonishing career and became the face of science itself for many in America.

Almost two decades after his death, Mr. Sagan is still rememberd for his candid enthusiasm towards the vast and deeply humbling universe we are so lucky to live in and is fondly reffered to as the gatekeeper of scientific credibility by his fans.

The Carl Sagan chronology was created with the Office Timeline add-in for PowerPoint, a simple-to-use tool that quickly builds impressive timelines and other similar visuals. The slide, which is free to copy and share, can be edited and updated using Office Timeline Plus Edition.

Download the Carl Sagan Timeline for PowerPoint here.