How were nitroglycerine's therapeutic benefits discovered?

Nitroglycerin, which was originally synthesized by Ascanio Sobrero, was used by Alfred Nobel to manufacture dynamite. It was in Nobel's dynamite factories in the late 1860s that the antianginal effect of nitroglycerin was discovered. Two interesting observations were made. First, factory workers on Monday mornings often complained of headaches that disappeared over the weekends. Second, factory workers suffering from angina pectoris or heart failure often experienced relief from chest pain during the work week, but which recurred on weekends. Both effects were attributed to the vasodilator action of nitroglycerin, which quickly became apparent to the physicians and physiologists in local communities.