Two Nobel Prize-winning physicists smuggled their medals out of Germany (and had a friend dissolve them in acid) to keep them out of Nazi hands.

On 27 November 1897 the multi-millionaire Swedish chemist and industrialist Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament establishing a foundation to honour, among others "champions of peace", those "who shall have done the most or the best work for creating the brotherhood of nations, for the abolition of reduction of standing armies, and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses"[1].