Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist and inventor who invented dynamite and owned several armament manufacturing companies. He established the Nobel Prizes in his will to recognize scientific and cultural advances. A monument in St. Petersburg marks his invention of dynamite and the location where his family once lived. His name is also associated with modern companies like Dynamit Nobel and AkzoNobel due to his significant contributions to chemistry through inventions like dynamite and his establishment of the prestigious Nobel Prizes.