Alexander Fleming
Discovered penicillin in 1928, launching the age of antibiotics and transforming the treatment of bacterial infections worldwide
A moment of apparent scientific accident, an overlooked, contaminated laboratory dish, led directly to one of the most consequential medical discoveries of the entire 20th century.
An Accidental Discovery
Fleming discovered penicillin's antibacterial properties in 1928 after noticing that mold accidentally contaminating one of his bacterial culture dishes had killed the surrounding bacteria.
Identifying Penicillin
Fleming identified the mold as a Penicillium species and recognized its potential antibacterial applications, though it would take over a decade of further research by other scientists to develop it into a practical medicine.
Transforming Medicine
Penicillin's eventual mass production during World War II dramatically reduced deaths from bacterial infections, launching the modern age of antibiotics that transformed medical treatment worldwide.
A Shared Nobel Prize
Fleming shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, who developed methods for penicillin's mass production and clinical application.
