Few of World's Most Famous Legends

History is full of legends that mystify and entertain. These legends of from different cultures around the world. Some are still held as strong beliefs, however some of them have faded away with time.

Here are the legends we share:

The Most Famous Legends of All Time

1. Lady Godiva
2. Robin Hood
3. The Fountain of Youth
4. Atlantis
5. Bloody Mary
6. El Dorado
7. King Arthur
8. The Gordian Knot
9. Yamashita's Treasures
10. Prester John

The Legend of Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva is believed to be an Anglo Saxon woman who lived during the time of 980-1064 AD. She was the wife of the ruler of Coventry, England. She loved her husband dearly, but she always opposed the way her husband treated his people.

When her husband issued a heavy tax on the local people, she decided to protest by wandering the city naked. And so she did, covering herself only with her hair, she wandered the streets of the city. The woman was so highly respected that the entire city shut down their windows while she did so. The only exception was a tailor, who watched through a hole in his shutter as the naked woman roam the city.

The tailor was named "Peeping Tom".

Godiva’s husband abolished the law immediately after her protest.

The Legend of Robin Hood

Robin Hood statue Nottingham, England.

Robin Hood is one of the most famous legendary characters of all time. Though his existence is not clearly verified, he is believed to be an Englishman from medieval times.

He was a thief who fought against injustice and tyranny by stealing from the rich and giving the money to the poor. It is believed that he had a group of men working for him whom he called his “Merry Men.”

The Legend of the Fountain of Youth

The legend of the fountain of youth tells about a special fountain which contains water with special powers. It is believed that by drinking this water, a person gains eternal youth. Nobody knows where this fountain is. American legends claim that it is somewhere in Florida, while European legends claim it is in Spain.

The Legend of Atlantis

The Legend of AtlantisIt is believed that about 9,600 years ago there was an island named Atlantis. It was also a continent that sunk over time. The Ancient Greeks called this place a holy city and believed that it used to lie beyond the Pillars of Hercules. The reason it sunk, according to the legend, is because Greece were not successful in conquering Athens.

The logical explanation of the matter however is that the island sunk due to submarine convulsions or volcanic eruption. The location of Atlantis is alternately given as in the Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean. According to research, however, there was never any such island. The matter has been under debate for centuries as many still believe that the island did exist.

The Legend of Bloody Mary

One legend about Bloody Mary is depicted in this Halloween card in which a young girl stares at the face of her future husband in a mirror in a darkened room, while the shadow of Bloody Mary lurks behind.

Bloody Mary is one of the most popular ghosts in the world. But who was she, really? No one actually knows. There are hundreds of legends about this famous legendary character.

Some say that she was a widow who killed her children, while some say she was a young child who got killed and is wandering around her grave.

The most common legend about Bloody Mary tells that if a person, after midnight, says "Bloody Mary" three times in front of the mirror, Mary's ghost will appear and kill the person.

Some legends also portray her as a good ghost, but mostly she is an evil spirit.

The Legend of El Dorado

The legend of El Dorado originated in South American during the 1530s. It is the story of a tribal chief who lived in a secret kingdom behind the waterfalls of the Amazon River. It is said that the chief of the tribe would cover himself with gold dust (which was present in an ample amount in his kingdom) and jump into the pure water. Legend has it that the story was brought to the world by Spanish wanderers who discovered the kingdom.

The Legend of King Arthur

King Arthur in combat.

The legend of El Dorado originated in South American during the 1530s. It is the story of a tribal chief who lived in a secret kingdom behind the waterfalls of the Amazon River. It is said that the chief of the tribe would cover himself with gold dust (which was present in an ample amount in his kingdom) and jump into the pure water. Legend has it that the story was brought to the world by Spanish wanderers who discovered the kingdom.

The Legend of the Gordian Knot

Alexander cutting the Gordian Knot.

Gordian was an ancient Phrygian king who was prophesized by the gods to become the king of Phrygia. The prophecy told that the first man who enters the city with a cart will be the new king. When Gordian became King, he tied his cart to a tree using a special knot. It was then prophesized that the first man who opened the knot would be the new king. In 333 BC, Alexander entered the city. He sliced the knot with his sword and became the king.

The Legend of Yamashita’s Treasures

Tomoyuki Yamashita

This legend is comparatively new. According to the legend, during World War II the Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita hid a treasure in caves somewhere in the Philippines. The treasure was actually stolen loot, consisting of gold items including bars and some antiques.

The Legend of Prester John

The Prester John

Prester John is believed to have been a king who ruled a nation somewhere in Europe during 12th-13th centuries. According to the legend, he was a righteous man and his kingdom was comprised of great wealth. His kingdom also consisted of magical objects and creatures. However, somehow his kingdom disappeared. Although today many people call it a mythical story, it was believed for many centuries and inspired adventurers to hunt for the lost kingdom and treasure.

Thanks for reading, news collected from exemplore...

Honeymoon Destinations Top 10

Honeymoon Destinations...

Honeymoons come in all shapes and sizes — a beach vacation, a safari, a ski trip — and are based more on the couple's joint personality than on tradition. This list is just a snapshot of 10 of the world's hottest honeymoon destinations, from sunny beaches to snow-capped mountains and even fairy-tale theme parks. by valerie conners

1. Camino Real Acapulco Diamante

Camino Real Acapulco

Once the honeymoon destination for John and Jackie Kennedy, Acapulco is still a popular place for newlyweds celebrating their new life together. Temperatures hover in the 80s throughout the year, and the warm water is ideal for swimming and snorkeling. As if that's not enough to tempt you, the prices in Acapulco are affordable and can allow for an unforgettable honeymoon even on a tight budget. The Camino Real offers well-designed rooms overlooking the private Pichilingue Beach, as well as fine dining and a variety of activities. The hotel's convenient location allows guests to appreciate the clubs of Acapulco by night and the natural beauty of the beaches by day.

What's cool: Two adults-only pools for a quiet escape.

2. The Bellagio Hotel

MGM Resorts International

So maybe you didn't escape to Las Vegas to elope, but who says you can't celebrate your nuptials in this hot destination? Vegas is an ideal place for newlyweds looking for an action-packed and exciting honeymoon that still allows for the option of being pampered, all for a reasonable price. The Bellagio Hotel offers fine accommodations and a fun nightlife, plus gourmet dining, stunning gardens, an elaborate pool complex, a first-class spa and even fine art on display. Las Vegas' romantic side is undeniable, and the whirlwind of available activities is sure to provide an unforgettable vacation.

What's cool: Stunning gardens make an ideal setting for a romantic stroll.

3. Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

Prefer to spend this precious time with your honey making snow angels rather than slathering on sunscreen? Situated on the edge of the glacier-fed Lake Louise, the Fairmont Chateau offers an abundance of winter sports, creating a heavenly honeymoon haven for snow bunnies. The wide variety of winter activities includes downhill and cross-country skiing, as well as snowshoeing, ice skating and even dogsledding. Guests can get pampered in the hotel's spa and then set off for a romantic sleigh ride into the wilderness. The idyllic lake setting makes the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise a popular honeymoon spot even in the warmer months, when guests can take advantage of the resort's outdoor activities, which include horseback riding, white-water rafting and hiking.

What's cool: Warm up with your sweetie by the fire after a romantic sleigh ride.

4. Walt Disney World

Disney

There's no better place for a fairy-tale honeymoon for the bride and her Prince Charming than at Walt Disney World Resorts. Newlyweds can choose from packages such as the honeymoon escape, the deluxe escape and the romantic escape, which combines time at a Disney resort with a cruise to the Bahamas. Packages include accommodations and park passes, as well as a choice of amenities such as honeymoon pictures at Disney sites or a couple's spa treatment. True Disney fans can bring the whole wedding to Disney World with a customized-theme ceremony at the park.

What's cool: Plan a private fireworks cruise.

5. Amankila

Courtesy of Amanresorts

Even savvy world travelers can find fresh and enchanting destinations to celebrate a new life together — it just may require some more time onboard. One such spot is tucked away on the island of Bali in Indonesia. Amankila translates to "peaceful hill," and this popular resort meets the expectations of its name. Overlooking the Lombok Strait in East Bali, the Amankila offers stunning views of the sea and a lovely 3-tiered pool. A day away from the resort promises an experience of rich culture steeped in religious tradition at one of the island's 10,000 temples

What's cool: Book the deluxe pool suite with your own private pool.

6. The St. Regis Florence

SerrNovik / iStock / Getty Images Plus

If it's romance you're looking for, a trip to Florence, Italy, guarantees starry eyes, hearty meals, amazing art and much more. Like a room with a view? Housed in a former 18th-century palace overlooking the Arno River, the St. Regis Florence is oozing with Florentine culture. Rooms are still fit for royalty, decorated with frescoes and marble. The hotel is ideally situated near the picture-worthy Duomo cathedral, the splendid Uffizi Gallery and the shops at Ponte Vecchio. This need not be the only stop on a Mediterranean adventure, and many honeymooners may choose to travel on to other Italian hot spots, such as Rome, Venice and the Amalfi Coast.

What's cool: The stained-glass ceiling in the hotel bar sets an Old World romantic mood.

7. Caneel Bay Resort

Courtesy of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Located in the 5,000-acre Virgin Islands National Park, Caneel Bay Resort is surrounded by 7 beaches and offers a wide range of pampering and activities. A visit to Honeymoon Beach is a must for all lovebirds. Some rooms have ocean views and patios that open right onto the beach, while the resort's most extravagant lodging option is a private cottage. Daytime entertainment includes relaxing on the beach, scuba diving, kayaking and taking yoga-for-2 classes. The food is top-notch, and the Beach Terrace offers the highly praised grand buffet on Monday nights.

What's cool: Inquire about the complete wedding planning service and get married at the resort!

8. Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa

Hilton

Nestled on a powder-white beach and a crystal-blue lagoon, Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa invites newlyweds to revel in post-wedding privacy in bungalows perched above the water on high stilts. Take a romantic dip or snorkel anytime right from the swimming platform. And with full views of the lagoon, you can catch a surreal sunrise without leaving your room. Couples can relax and be pampered at the resort’s Hina Spa, which overlooks the lagoon with breathtaking panoramic views.

What's cool: Watch tropical fish swim below you from the glass floor panels in the overwater bungalows.

9. Hyatt Regency Aruba Beach Resort & Casino

Hyatt Regency Aruba

Some honeymooners are looking for an action-packed vacation, while others just want to soak in the rays and relax. For those who fall in the latter group, Aruba is an ideal destination, thanks to its near-perfect weather and beautiful beaches. Only 20 miles long and 6 miles wide, this small space is packed with enough beaches, restaurants, nightclubs and casinos to delight even the most finicky members of the just-married set. At the Hyatt Regency, the focus is on serenity by day, when couples can enjoy the island's fine beaches, the pool complex and the spa, and on action at night, when the nearby clubs and the on-site casino come alive. Meet Lady Luck, but be careful not to lose your shirt while gambling amid a party that re-creates the feeling of Rio at Carnival time.

What's cool: A variety of culinary experiences to please every palate — from sushi to tapas to the popular "Fajitas and Ritas" special, which features Mexican food and margaritas.

10. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

john De Mello

Say "aloha" to romance at this Four Seasons resort, where you can spend your days lounging by the adults-only Palm Grove Pool or exploring the natural King's Pond pool before heading off to the luxurious spa for a relaxing couple's massage. The Ultimate Honeymoon Package offers a rental car for your stay, a romantic private dinner on the beach (1 night only) and breakfast daily. Guests can indulge their senses during the day, unwind at sunset with a mai tai at the Beach Tree Bar, and then go to the second-floor Makai Terrace for an intimate, first-class dinner overlooking the ocean.

What's cool: First-floor rooms have private outdoor showers.

10 Most Amazing Places On Earth... (10-7)

10 Most Amazing Places On Earth...

The world is beautiful. It is full of wonderful places that most of us do not know they really exist. From majestic waterfalls, and lost cities, to mysterious landmarks and natural wonders, here is a collection of some breathtaking places to visit and to fill your soul with something beautiful that will never be forgotten.

These are the ten most amazing places on earth, you definitely want to see before it’s all over. Everyone has their own opinion about the best places to visit in the world. This is my list of what I believe are the top ten gorgeous places to visit. Do share about your favorites destinations in comments!


10. Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora

Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora is a luxury resort located at Motu Tehotu on the island of Bora Bora, in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The Resort is a part of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, a Toronto-based hotel management company.

9. Paterswoldse Meer Lake, Groningen, Netherlands

Ice skating on Paterswoldse Meer, a lake just South of the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. The Paterswoldse Meer lake is one of those places where you could skate in a natural setting, under a breathtaking environment. As part of the Groningen-Drenthe lakes, this is a favorite among Netherlands visitors because of its unbelievable surroundings.

8. Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Tian Tan Buddha is one of the top must-go destinations for visitors to Hong Kong. This statue, also known as the Big Buddha, is the world’s largest Buddha statue, by using bronze, it’s 34 metres tall and weighs 250 tonnes, completed in December 1993. It is a major centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong.

7. Blue Caves, Zakynthos Island, Greece

Blue caves villa is probably the best place to be in Zakynthos, the largest islands in the Ionian sea. On the West cost where Zakynthos offers one of its most stunning views: the blue caves. They are also known as the blue caves of Volimes, the picturesque village where they are located. The distinctive element of the blue caves is that they reflect the vibrating and striking blue colour of the waters in them, which at the same time capture and reflect the shine of the limpid sky reflected on their surface. It is a secluded part of the island that has everything you are looking for. It’s an absolutely beautiful location with breathtaking views over the turquoise Ionian sea.

Nobel Prize for PEACE

Nobel Prize for PEACE

Below find every winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, from 1901 through 2011. For years not listed, no award was made.

1901

Henri Dunant (Switzerland); Frederick Passy (France)

1902

Elie Ducommun and Albert Gobat (Switzerland)

1903

Sir William R. Cremer (U.K.)

1904

Institut de Droit International (Belgium)

1905

Bertha von Suttner (Austria)

1906

Theodore Roosevelt (U.S.)

1907

Ernesto T. Moneta (Italy) and Louis Renault (France)

1908

Klas P. Arnoldson (Sweden) and Frederik Bajer (Denmark)

1909

Auguste M. F. Beernaert (Belgium) and Baron Paul H. B. B. d'Estournelles de Constant de Rebecque (France)

1910

Bureau International Permanent de la Paix (Switzerland)

1911

Tobias M. C. Asser (Holland) and Alfred H. Fried (Austria)

1912

Elihu Root (U.S.)

1913

Henri La Fontaine (Belgium)

1917

International Red Cross

1919

Woodrow Wilson (U.S.)

1920

Léon Bourgeois (France)

1921

Karl H. Branting (Sweden) and Christian L. Lange (Norway)

1922

Fridtjof Nansen (Norway)

1925

Sir Austen Chamberlain (U.K.) and Charles G. Dawes (U.S.)

1926

Aristide Briand (France) and Gustav Stresemann (Germany)

1927

Ferdinand Buisson (France) and Ludwig Quidde (Germany)

1929

Frank B. Kellogg (U.S.)

1930

Lars Olaf Nathan Söderblom (Sweden)

1931

Jane Addams and Nicholas M. Butler (U.S.)

1933

Sir Norman Angell (U.K.)

1934

Arthur Henderson (U.K.)

1935

Karl von Ossietzky (Germany)

1936

Carlos de S. Lamas (Argentina)

1937

Lord Cecil of Chelwood (U.K.)

1938

Office International Nansen pour les Réfugiés (Switzerland)

1944

International Red Cross

1945

Cordell Hull (U.S.)

1946

Emily G. Balch and John R. Mott (U.S.)

1947

American Friends Service Committee (U.S.) and British Society of Friends' Service Council (U.K.)

1949

Lord John Boyd Orr (Scotland)

1950

Ralph J. Bunche (U.S.)

1951

Léon Jouhaux (France)

1952

Albert Schweitzer (French Equatorial Africa)

1953

George C. Marshall (U.S.)

1954

Office of U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees

1957

Lester B. Pearson (Canada)

1958

Rev. Dominique Georges Henri Pire (Belgium)

1959

Philip John Noel-Baker (U.K.)

1960

Albert John Luthuli (South Africa)

1961

Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden)

1962

Linus Pauling (U.S.)

1963

Intl. Comm. of Red Cross; League of Red Cross Societies (both Geneva)

1964

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (U.S.)

1965

UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)

1968

René Cassin (France)

1969

International Labor Organization

1970

Norman E. Borlaug (U.S.)

1971

Willy Brandt (West Germany)

1973

Henry A. Kissinger (U.S.); Le Duc Tho (North Vietnam)1

1974

Eisaku Sato (Japan); Sean MacBride (Ireland)

1975

Andrei D. Sakharov (U.S.S.R.)

1976

Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams (both Northern Ireland)

1977

Amnesty International

1978

Menachem Begin (Israel) and Anwar el-Sadat (Egypt)

1979

Mother Teresa of Calcutta (India)

1980

Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (Argentina)

1981

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

1982

Alva Myrdal (Sweden) and Alfonso García 

Robles (Mexico)

1983

Lech Walesa (Poland)

1984

Bishop Desmond Tutu (South Africa)

1985

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

1986

Elie Wiesel (U.S.)

1987

Oscar Arias Sánchez (Costa Rica)

1988

U.N. Peacekeeping Forces

1989

Dalai Lama (Tibet)

1990

Mikhail S. Gorbachev (U.S.S.R.)

1991

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma)

1992

Rigoberta Menchú (Guatemala)

1993

F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela (both South Africa)

1994

Yasir Arafat (Palestine), Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin (both Israel)

1995

Joseph Rotblat and Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs (U.K.)

1996

Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta (East Timor)

1997

International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Jody Williams (U.S.)

1998

John Hume and David Trimble (Northern Ireland)

1999

Doctors without Borders (France)

2000

Kim Dae Jung (South Korea)

2001

United Nations and Kofi Annan

2002

Jimmy Carter (U.S.)

2003

Shirin Ebadi (Iran)

2004

Wangari Maathai (Kenya)

2005

Mohamed ElBaradei (Egypt) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

2006

Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh) and the Grameen Bank

2007

Al Gore (U.S.) and United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Switzerland)

2008

Martti Ahtisaari (Finland)

2009

Barack Obama (U.S.)

2010

Liu Xiaobo (China)

2011

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), and Tawakkul Karman (Yemen)

*  Le Duc Tho refused prize, charging that peace had not yet really been established in South Vietnam.

Nobel Prize History...

Nobel Prize History

History of the world's most famous prizes
by Beth Rowen

The Nobel prizes are awarded under the will of Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Swedish chemist and engineer, who died in 1896. The interest of the fund is divided annually among the persons who have made the most outstanding contributions in the fields of physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine, who have produced the most distinguished literary work of an idealist tendency, and who have contributed most toward world peace.

In 1968, a Nobel Prize of economic sciences was established by Riksbank, the Swedish bank, in celebration of its 300th anniversary. The prize was awarded for the first time in 1969.

The prizes for physics and chemistry are awarded by the Swedish Academy of Science in Stockholm, the one for physiology or medicine by the Caroline Medical Institute in Stockholm, that for literature by the Academy in Stockholm, and that for peace by a committee of five elected by the Norwegian Storting. The distribution of prizes was begun on December 10, 1901, the anniversary of Nobel's death. The amount of each prize varies with the income from the fund and in 2007 is worth ten million Swedish kroners, or more than one and a half million U.S. dollars. No Nobel prizes were awarded for 1940, 1941, and 1942; prizes for literature were not awarded for 1914, 1918, and 1943.


Winning a Nobel Prize is a life-changing honor. Whether the laureate is an internationally known figure (such as Mother Teresa or Barack Obama, winners of the 1979 and 2009 Peace Prize, respectively) or a scientist plucked from obscurity (like Richard R. Ernst, who won the 1991 prize in chemistry for refinements in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy), the award brings with it worldwide recognition that highlights one's life work and provides the funds to continue and further the mission. For academics and institutions, a Nobel Prize is used to attract the best and the brightest minds, whether students or scholars.

2015 Nobel Prizes

Peace

The National Dialogue Quartet (Tunisia) "for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011."


Physiology or Medicine

One-half jointly to William C. Campbell (U.S.) and Satoshi Ōmura (Japan) for their discoveries concerning a therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites, and one-half to Youyou Tu (China) for her discovery of a therapy against Malaria.


Physics

Jointly to Takaaki Kajita (Japan) and Arthur B. McDonald (Canada) "for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass."


Chemistry

Jointly to Tomas Lindahl (UK), Paul Modrich (U.S.), and Aziz Sancar (U.S.) "for mechanistic studies of DNA repair."


Literature

Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus) "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time."


Economics
Angus Deaton (UK/U.S.) "for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare."


Industrialist With a Conscience

Alfred B. Nobel (1833–1896), the Swedish chemist and engineer who invented dynamite, left $9 million in his will to establish the Nobel Prizes, which are awarded annually, without regard to nationality, in six areas (peace, literature, physics,chemistry, physiology or medicine, and economic science) "to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind."

At first glance, it seems odd that the inventor of a powerful explosive would endow a group of awards that includes a peace prize. But Nobel was an industrialist with a conscience. He is credited with creating a controllable combustible that made blasting rock and the construction of canals and tunnels a relatively safe process. Nobel also contributed to the inventions of synthetic rubber, artificial silk, and synthetic leather. He held more than 350 patents. His interests were not limited to science. In fact, he was a lover of English literature and poetry and wrote several novels and poems. At his death, he left a library of more than 1,500 books, from fiction to philosophy.


Family Members Contest Last Wishes

Family members were shocked when they learned that Nobel had dictated that his fortune be used to establish the Nobel Prizes. They contested his will, but his final wishes were executed and the first awards were distributed in 1901, on the fifth anniversary of his death. The prize in economics, however, was established in 1968 by Riksbank, the Swedish bank, in honor of its 300th anniversary. Stockholm's Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences administers the award in physics and chemistry, the Royal Caroline Medical Institute awards the prize in physiology or medicine, and the Swedish Academy oversees the prize in literature. The Norwegian Storting, or parliament, awards the peace
prize.


The Peace Prize

The first female Nobel Peace prize winner, Baroness Bertha von Suttner, in 1905, was perhaps the inspiration for the award itself. Von Suttner, who organized the Austrian Peace Society and wrote the landmark anti-war novel Lay Down Your Arms, was a close friend of Alfred Nobel. When he established the peace prize, he wrote that it should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses"—precisely the work the Baroness had been engaged in.

In 2014, Malala Yousafzai, the 17-year-old Pakistani activist who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for promoting the education of women, shared the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the youngest recipient of a Nobel Prize.


The Prizes

Each winner of a Nobel Prize, which can go to individuals and institutions, takes home a medal, a diploma, and cash, which varies each year and depends on the income earned on the Nobel Foundation fund. In 2008, winners recipients receive 10 million Swedish kroners, or about $1.72 million.

The awards process begins an entire year before the awards are announced, with the administers of the awards inviting nominations from the fall through January 31 of the next year. On February 1, the six committees begin considering nominees and make recommendations to the prize-awarding subcommittees in September and early October. The winners must be announced by November 15. Nobel week begins in early October. The Nobel Prizes are awarded on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.

Posthumous nominations for the prizes are not allowed. This has sparked controversy, with critics saying that people who deserved a Nobel Prize did not receive one because they died before being nominated. In two cases the Prize has been awarded posthumously to people who were nominated when they were still alive. This was the case with UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld (1961, Peace Prize) and Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1931, Literature)—both of whom were awarded the prize in the years they died. Since 1974, awards have not been allowed for a deceased person. William Vickrey (1996, Economics) died before he could receive the prize, but after it was announced.


Turning Down the Prize

Prizes are not automatically awarded each year. They can be withheld if there are no worthy candidates or when a world situation makes awarding the prizes impractical. Because of World War II, no awards were given from 1940–1942. Prizes can also be declined. Even if a prize is declined, the winner is entered in the books, but the cash gift reverts back to the fund. In 1937, Hitler issued a decree that forbade Germans from accepting Nobel Prizes. He considered pacifist journalist Carl von Ossietzky's 1935 peace prize a slap in the face. In 1973 Le Duc Tho refused the Nobel Peace Prize as he did not believe peace had been reached in Vietnam.
                       

6 Things We’ve Learned About Oscars Field 2016

6 Things We’ve Learned About Oscars Field 2016...

Photo: Long Way Home Productions, Black Label Media

Three weeks ago, I plumbed this year's unsettled Oscars race, but now that we have fall film festivals in Toronto, Telluride, and Venice behind us, many of the key pieces of awards season have begun falling into place. Which fortunes have changed since some of the year's biggest contenders have begun to screen? Here are six things we've recently learned about the likely Oscars lineup.

Best Actress will be a war zone

How stacked is this year’s Best Actress lineup? So stacked that even five-time nominee Amy Adams, who delivers two strong performances this year, in the alien drama Arrival and Tom Ford’s revenge thriller Nocturnal Animals, looks like an on-the-bubble pick for the final five. La La Land’s Emma Stone and Jackie’s Natalie Portman came out of the fall-festival circuit with turbocharged momentum and are guaranteed nominations, Florence Foster Jenkins star Meryl Streep has a movie that will play well with older Academy members all season, and we’ve still yet to see highly buzzed-about performances, from 20th Century Women’s Annette Bening and Fences’ Viola Davis, neither of whom have won an Oscar despite multiple nominations. I still think Stone has the makings of a front-runner: La La Land is nearly certain to score Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, and in recent years, whenever an ingenue has fronted a movie that could boast both nods, she has the edge in Best Actress (as winners like Silver Linings Playbook’s Jennifer Lawrence, Room’s Brie Larson, and, well, Black Swan’s Natalie Portman can all attest). A lot will depend on the scope of Bening’s role and which category Davis competes in — if either woman dropped down to Best Supporting, they’d likely swamp the whole field — but this looks to be the most competitive actress race in ages.

The male acting categories are penetrable

Most years, I can give you a set of five snubbed Best Actor contenders that’s just as strong as the five ultimately selected by the Academy, but this year feels different. No male performance at Toronto had the heat of Portman or Stone, and the fest mostly provided another venue for actors who’d generated far more buzz earlier in the year, like Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea, Joel Edgerton in Loving, and Nate Parker in The Birth of a Nation. (Last year, two Best Actor nominees premiered at Toronto, The Martian’s Matt Damon and Trumbo’s Bryan Cranston, but this year’s lineup offered no likely gate-crashers.) The fall-festival gauntlet has added a few more names to the Best Supporting Actor conversation, including Lion’s Dev Patel, Michael Shannon in Nocturnal Animals, and many of the cast members of Moonlight, but both fields still feel ripe for a late-season shakeup.

La La Land is in pole position for Best Picture ...

At this point in the year, we’ve usually seen the eventual Best Picture winner: The last several, including Spotlight, Birdman, 12 Years a Slave, and Argo, debuted on the fall-festival circuit. If history holds, then, Damien Chazelle’s winsome modern musical La La Land is sitting prettiest. Not only did it win the Toronto Film Festival’s Audience Award, which often presages Oscars glory, but it boasts a powerhouse contending performance by Emma Stone and is the most well-liked of the fall films by a far sight. (It’s also about show business, which will register with the Academy members who once flipped for The Artist, Argo, and Birdman.) I’m not ready to call it the likely winner just yet — there are still enough films left to come that boast a comparatively strong profile on paper — but based on the rapturous reception the movie has gotten so far, Chazelle and company must be floating.

... and most of the Best Picture lineup has likely already screened

There are still some major contenders yet to screen this year … hell, there are still some major movies that haven’t even confirmed a 2016 release date, though everyone in town expects Live by Night, Silence, and Hidden Figures to at least muster some sort of December qualifying run. Those films, as well as the Ang Lee–directed Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and Denzel Washington’s adaptation of Fences, still have time to transform the field as we know it. That being said, enough of the major movies have screened at this point that we could likely assemble at least half of the eventual Best Picture lineup from some combination of the following titles: The Birth of a Nation, Florence Foster Jenkins, Hell or High Water, La La Land, Lion, Loving, Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight, and Sully. Which of those talked-about films do you think will survive the season?

The Birth of a Nation’s screenings still pack a punch

The slave-revolt drama The Birth of a Nation came out of Sundance white-hot, and after paying $17.5 million to acquire it, Fox Searchlight intended to let the film lie dormant over the summer before reactivating all that buzz with a splashy Toronto Film Festival bow in the fall. That PR plan failed to proceed as scheduled once a college rape charge against writer-director-actor Nate Parker started making headlines in August, but the studio pressed ahead regardless, and the screenings in Toronto actually went well, earning Parker a standing ovation. It’s true that a later press conference found Parker on shakier ground, but if Searchlight limits his media appearances while continuing to screen the film for invested audiences, it’s possible the studio can mitigate its tricky sell.

The Weinsteins can’t be counted out

It doesn’t feel right to have a Best Picture derby without Harvey Weinstein in it, but after several consecutive years of contending for Oscar’s biggest trophy, the Weinstein Company couldn’t manage a Best Picture nod last year. That rare slip, plus a public downsizing, had led many in the industry to start discounting the Weinsteins’ Oscar chances … but the sensitive, crowd-pleasing adoption drama Lion will almost certainly score some major nods, including nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Dev Patel), and Best Supporting Actress (Nicole Kidman). The question is whether Weinstein will spend his resources on making that Toronto debut a hit, or save some for the flashy-looking Matthew McConaughey drama Gold and Michael Keaton’s biopic of McDonald's Ray Kroc, The Founder, both due out later this year.

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