How did Howard Florey discover penicillin

Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming, but he never attempted to turn it into an antibiotic. It wasn’t until ten years later that Howard Florey discovered Fleming’s obscure paper and understood the mold’s potential. Up to 200 million lives may have been saved as a result of Florey’s work. […]

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Scientists separated triplets at birth for a controversial experiment and had no idea what they were doing

As part of an experiment, a set of triplets was intentionally separated at birth and given to three sets of parents from different socioeconomic backgrounds. It was discovered in 1980, when two of the triplets attended the same college. […]

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During the 1996 Olympic bombing, Richard Jewell falsely accused of committing the crime after saving dozens of people

Richard Jewell, an American security guard, discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and assisted in the evacuation, but was later wrongfully accused and faced public scrutiny. He was cleared, but it had a lasting impact on him until his death in 2007 at the age of 44. […]

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The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes

Stefano Mariottini was snorkeling off the coast of Monasterace near Riace in 1972 when he noticed a human hand sticking out of the sand and called the police, thinking it was a corpse. It was actually two statues of “Warriors from Riace” – 5th century BC Greek bronze statues. […]

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The day Iceland’s women went on strike

Icelandic women went on strike for equal rights on October 24, 1975. 90% of women walked out of their jobs and homes, effectively shutting down the entire country. The men were struggling to keep up. The following year, Parliament passed a law requiring equal pay. Iceland elected the world’s first female President five years later. Iceland now has the highest gender equality rate in the world. […]

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The Man Who Survived Falling Through a Thunderstorm, William Rankin

William Rankin was a fighter pilot who survived an ejection into a thunderstorm. He suffered frostbite, violent wind and lightning, severe decompression, and nearly drowned from breathing in rain water. He was in the cloud for over 40 minutes in total. […]

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Medieval Medicine: A 1,000-year-old onion and garlic salve kills modern bacterial superbugs

Scientists recreated an Anglo-Saxon manuscript-based 9th century onion and garlic eye remedy and discovered that it killed 90% of antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria (MRSA). […]

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Are Octopus Intelligent? A Look Inside an Octopus’s Brain

Octopuses are extremely intelligent. It is the only invertebrate capable of emotion, empathy, cognitive function, self-awareness, personality, and even interpersonal relationships. Some believe that if humans did not exist, octopi would eventually take our place as the dominant life form on Earth. […]

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