November 30

On the 30th in 1817, Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was born. He was destined to become a classical scholar, jurist and historian. He was also a prolific writer, with over 1000 entries in his bibliography. In 1902, he became the recipient of the second Nobel Prize ever when he received the 1902 Nobel Prize for Literature (for Romische Geschichte – Roman History). The timing of the award worked well with Mommsen’s schedule. Besides, all the invitations to the Awards ceremony had been sent out, the hall booked, the medal struck, so many people had sent back their RSVP cards, and Mommsen was going to die on November 1, 1903 so awarding the prize after 1902 was simply out of the question.