Sir Alexander Fleming (1881 - 1955)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Sir Alexander's lifetime.

In 1881, in the year that Sir Alexander Fleming was born, on October 26th, the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" happened in Tombstone, Arizona. The gunfight lasted only 30 seconds - the Earps and Doc Holliday on one side and the "Cowboys" on the other side. The McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton of the Cowboys were killed. Two of the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday were wounded.

In 1906, he was 25 years old when English biochemist Frederick Hopkins concluded that vitamins are essential to the human body and that a lack of vitamins caused scurvy and rickets. Scurvy and rickets were both huge problems in sailors that were at sea for extended time and the addition of vitamin C, vitamin D, and calcium in their diets helped eradicate the problem.

In 1938, when he was 57 years old, on October 30th, a Sunday, The Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast Orson Welles' special Halloween show The War of the World's. A clever take on H.G. Wells' novel, the show began with simulated "breaking news" of an invasion by Martians. Because of the realistic nature of the "news," there was a public outcry the next day, calling for regulation by the FCC. Although the current story is that many were fooled and panicked, in reality very few people were fooled. But the show made Orson Welles' career.

In 1946, by the time he was 65 years old, pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock's book "The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care" was published. It sold half a million copies in the first six months. Aside from the Bible, it became the best selling book of the 20th century. A generation of Baby Boomers were raised by the advice of Dr. Spock.

In 1955, in the year of Sir Alexander Fleming's passing, on September 10th the TV show "Gunsmoke" debuted on CBS. It went on to be television's longest-running western. Matt Dillon, Chester, Doc Adams, and Miss Kitty became household names.