⚰️
September 1928

Fleming's Contaminated Petri Dish

The failed experiment that saved millions

Money Burned

£0

Body Count

0 (saved millions)

Lifespan

1 days (0 years)

☠️ Official Cause of Death

Accidental contamination

Alexander Fleming went on vacation. Left a petri dish of bacteria uncovered. Came back to find it contaminated with mold. Most scientists would toss it. Fleming noticed the mold killed the bacteria. That 'failed' experiment was penicillin. It's saved over 200 million lives.

Epitaph

A messy lab bench

Vacation ruined the culture

Or it saved the world

Famous Last Words

"One sometimes finds what one is not looking for"

"The mold had created around itself a bacteria-free circle"

💡 The Lesson

Pay attention to your failures. Sometimes the contamination is the discovery.

🙋

I Was There Too

Raise your hand. Be honest. We all fuck up.

No one has confessed yet. Be the first to raise your hand.

Were you part of this? Did you use it? Raise your hand:

💡

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