What happened in 1928?

Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

In September 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming noticed that mould growing on a laboratory dish had killed the bacteria around it. He named the substance penicillin. In the 1940s, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain turned it into a medicine, the first widely used antibiotic, saving millions of lives.

Sliced bread goes on sale

On 7 July 1928, a bakery in Chillicothe, Missouri, began selling bread sliced by a machine invented by Otto Rohwedder. Customers loved the convenience, and within a few years most bread in the United States was sold sliced, giving rise to the saying 'the best thing since sliced bread'.

Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

On 28 September 1928, the Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming noticed that a mould growing on a dish in his London laboratory had killed the bacteria around it. It produced penicillin, the first antibiotic. Mass-produced in the 1940s, it has saved millions of lives.

Gershwin's An American in Paris premieres

On 13 December 1928, George Gershwin's orchestral piece An American in Paris was first performed at Carnegie Hall in New York. Inspired by his visit to Paris, it even included real taxi horns. It later inspired an Oscar-winning film of the same name in 1951.

FIFA decides to hold a World Cup

Fleming notices the mould

Fleming discovers penicillin