Nobel found that when nitroglycerin was incorporated in an absorbent inert substance like kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth) it became safer and more convenient to handle, and this mixture he patented in 1867 as "dynamite".
Diatomaceous earth consists of the fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled microalgae.
Looked it up:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel#Nobel_Prize
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth