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This paper presents a quantitative and qualitative biographical analysis of Nobel prize laureates in physics over the first hundred years of the award. For the quantitative analysis a set of data has been collected from the laureates' biographies, which is used to characterise their education and professional careers. Such an analysis of the biographies of Nobel laureates provides interesting information about the structure and politics of scientific research. Statistical evaluation of the data is of interest from the viewpoint of research and educational policy, and may also be useful for further science historical analysis. In the qualitative analysis, special features of the laureates' biographies are highlighted, with the aim of providing insights into their scientific motivations and the development of their careers.
Claus D. Hillebrand (2002) studied this question.