When was Alexander Fleming born and when did they die?

Alexander Fleming was born in 1881 and died in 1955, living to about 74 years old.

Who was alive at the same time as Alexander Fleming?

Alexander Fleming's closest contemporary was Winston Churchill, with whom they shared 74 years of overlapping lifetimes. Explore more contemporaries on Timeliner.

Alexander Fleming

Q: What was Alexander Fleming known for?

Alexander Fleming was known for: Discovered penicillin. Sir Alexander Fleming was a Scottish physician and microbiologist. He shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Howard Florey and Ernst Chain "for the discovery of penicillin and its curative effect in various infectious diseases". This was the first antibiotic substance discovered. His discovery in 1928 of what was later named benzylpenicillin from the mould Penicillium rubens has been described as the "single greatest victory ever achieved over disease".

1881 – 1955

Science & Invention

Sir Alexander Fleming was a Scottish physician and microbiologist. He shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Howard Florey and Ernst Chain "for the discovery of penicillin and its curative effect in various infectious diseases". This was the first antibiotic substance discovered. His discovery in 1928 of what was later named benzylpenicillin from the mould Penicillium rubens has been described as the "single greatest victory ever achieved over disease".

Alexander Fleming

Contemporaries

Their World