A little wonder, every day

Fact 1651 — No Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1940–1942

AI-generated cover image of an empty formal awards hall, representing the wartime interruption. Exact prompt: “Photorealistic editorial cover for the Nobel Prizes not awarded in 1940, 1941 and 1942: an empty formal European awards hall during wartime, unoccupied chairs and a single unlit stage, a closed blank archival ledger on a seat in foreground, subdued 1940s atmosphere, vertical 4:5. No recognizable institution, no medals or official logos, no readable text.”

Documentary photograph of Nobel Hall in the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Oslo, where the Peace Prize is announced. Photo by Hadi, taken 18 August 2005. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OsloNobelinstituteHall.JPG; CC BY-SA 3.0 (also offered under GFDL/older CC BY-SA versions); attribution and ShareAlike apply. No edits.

AI-generated editorial reconstruction (created 2026-10-19) of an unspecified empty European awards hall in the early 1940s; it is not a depiction of a particular Nobel venue. Exact prompt: “Photorealistic editorial reconstruction of an empty European awards hall in the early 1940s, velvet seats and a silent stage under dim wartime lighting, vertical 4:5. Generic venue and imagined illustration of interrupted ceremonies, not a specific Nobel venue or documentary photograph, no banners, logos, people, or readable text.”

Exterior of Stockholm Concert Hall, where Nobel ceremonies are held except for the Peace Prize ceremony. Anonymous private photograph taken in 2002; uploader documented written permission for free licensing. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stockholm_Konserthuset_2002.jpg; CC BY-SA 3.0/GFDL; attribution and ShareAlike apply. No edits.

AI-generated symbolic editorial illustration (created 2026-10-19) of three blank calendar pages and a closed ledger; no dates are readable. Exact prompt: “Photorealistic editorial still life about a three-year pause in Nobel awards during World War II: an old desk calendar with three blank consecutive pages turned over, a closed ledger, and a darkened window with distant blackout curtains, 1940s atmosphere, vertical 4:5. Avoid legible dates or text, no official Nobel branding, symbolic illustration only.”

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AI-generated cover image of an empty formal awards hall, representing the wartime interruption. Exact prompt: “Photorealistic editorial cover for the Nobel Prizes not awarded in 1940, 1941 and 1942: an empty formal European awards hall during wartime, unoccupied chairs and a single unlit stage, a closed blank archival ledger on a seat in foreground, subdued 1940s atmosphere, vertical 4:5. No recognizable institution, no medals or official logos, no readable text.”

Listen to fact0:00 / —

In 1940, 1941 and 1942, no Nobel Prizes were awarded in the five original categories: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. These years fell during the Second World War, which disrupted the work of the committees. The Peace Prize has gone unawarded more often than any other category: in 19 years in total through 2025.