In Absentia
On December 10, 2010, Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but wasn't allowed to attend the ceremony. Instead, Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland put the diploma on his empty chair. It was the first time in 74 years the award wasn't handed over: in 1936, Adolf Hitler prevented German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky from accepting his Nobel.

• Despite China Threats, Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Dissident Liu Xiaobo