Yes. In 1928, the Scottish research scientist Alexander Fleming found that mold had accidentally contaminated one of his experiments. The mold created a bacteria-free circle around itself, and Fleming deduced that the mold was an antibacterial agent that could kill many harmful bacteria. He named the active agent penicillin. By the middle of the twentieth century, Fleming’s discovery birthed a pharmaceutical industry that made synthetic penicillin to treat many bacterial diseases of the day, including syphilis, gangrene, and tuberculosis. He won the Nobel Prize in 1945 for his discovery.
- Why do people beg for money and push grocery carts around town?
- Why do people wear uniforms?
- Why is it important to volunteer?
- What is philanthropy?
- How do firefighters help the community?
- How do police officers help the community?
- What type of people help make a community operate well?
- What is head lice?
- What do I do if witness bullying on the playground?
- Should I tell my parents I am being bullied?
- What are antibiotics?
- What causes people to pass gas?
- How does an electric car work?
- What were some of the earliest steam and gasoline driven vehicles?
- Who invented the automobile?
- How does a cable car stop and go?
- How does an escalator work?
- Why are they called skyscrapers?
- How do elevators work?
- What is the tallest building in the world?
