Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 almost by accident. When he returned from vacation, he noticed a contaminant mold in one of his culture plates had destroyed some Staphylococcus aureus bacteria surrounding it. This mold was later identified as Penicillium notatum. Further investigation revealed it produced an antibiotic substance, which Fleming named penicillin. A team at Oxford including Howard Florey and Ernst Chain later isolated and purified penicillin, allowing its clinical use during World War II and revolutionizing medicine by enabling the treatment of infections. Fleming, Florey and Chain shared the 1945 Nobel Prize for their contributions to developing penicillin.

1. How VACATION SAVED the DAY and helped discover Antibiotics!
Anti-biotics means Against Life!
One of the marvels of the twentieth century is the use of antibiotics to cure infectious
diseases. Prior to the discovery of penicillin and other antibiotics in the 1940s, there were no
protections against even the mildest of infections. Something as simple as a cut or scrape could
turn deadly if it became infected. In World War I, more soldiers died from the infections of their
wounds than the trauma of the wound. Antibiotics changed that. Prior to Alexander Fleming’s
vacation discovery, the human race could only focus on preventing infections; now we can treat
them.
Alexander Fleming was born in Scotland on August 6, 1881. During World War I,
Fleming served in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a bacteriologist, studying wound infections
in a makeshift lab that had been set up in Boulogne, France. Through his research there, Fleming
discovered that antiseptics commonly used at the time were doing more harm than good, as their
diminishing effects on the body's immunity agents largely outweighed their ability to break down
harmful bacteria -- therefore, more soldiers were dying from antiseptic treatment than from the
infections they were trying to destroy. Fleming recommended that, for more effective healing,
wounds simply be kept dry and clean. However, his recommendations largely went unheeded.
Here’s where the VACATION part plays into history:
In September 1928, Fleming returned to his laboratory after a month vacation with his
family, and noticed that an important culture of Staphylococcus aureus he had left out had
become contaminated with a fungus. He also discovered that the colonies of staphylococci
surrounding this mold had been destroyed. This mold was later identified as Penicillium
notatum.
He later said of the incident, "When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I
certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or
bacteria killer. But I suppose that was exactly what I did." He at first called the substance "mold
juice," and then named it "penicillin," after the mold that produced it.
Thinking he had found an enzyme, Fleming decided to investigate further. What he found
out, though, was that it was not an enzyme at all, but an antibiotic -- one of the first antibiotics to
be discovered. Further development of the substance was not a one-man operation, as his
previous efforts had been, so Fleming recruited two young researchers. The three men
unfortunately failed to stabilize and purify penicillin, but Fleming pointed out that penicillin had
clinical potential, both in topical and injectable forms, if it could be developed properly.
On the heels of Fleming's discovery, a team of scientists from the University of Oxford --
led by Howard Florey and his co-worker, Ernst Chain -- isolated and purified penicillin. The
antibiotic eventually came into use during World War II, revolutionizing battlefield medicine
and, on a much broader scale, the field of infection control.

2. Florey, Chain and Fleming shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, but
their relationship was tainted over who should receive the most credit for penicillin. The press
tended to emphasize Fleming's role due to the compelling back-story of his chance discovery and
his greater willingness to be interviewed.
Resources:
http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/white-house-wants-12b-fight-antibiotic-
resistance/2015-01-27
http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/antibiotic-resistant-superbugs-health-crisis-
generation/2015-06-25?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dm28pe.html