The Most Important Events That Changed History Forever

Production of Penicillin (1928)

In 1928, bacteriologist Alexander Fleming determined that Penicillium Rubens had antibacterial properties. At the time, mass drug development was nearly impossible, leading to the initial dismissal of his discovery. However, after medical applications were established, a team at Oxford was able to produce penicillin in their laboratory. By the summer of 1945, over 646 billion units per year were in production.

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The More You Know

  • The hashtag symbol is technically called an octothorpe.
  • If you sneeze while driving at 60 mph, your eyes are closed for around 50 feet.
  • In the late 1600s, London was plagued by an attacker who would spank his victims with a rod and shout "Spanko!" before running away.
  • Shakespeare's plays feature the word "love" about 10 times more than the word "hate."
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