SYMHC Classics: Penicillin

Stuff You Missed in History Class

iHeartPodcasts

History, Society & Culture

4.2 • 24.2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 July 2026

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This 2022 episode covers the development of penicillin, which started – but definitely did not end – with the chance discovery of some mold in a petri dish.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.3	Guaranteed Human.
0:06.4	Happy Saturday.
0:07.9	After this week's episodes on Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin,
0:11.1	including our work determining the structure of penicillin,
0:14.4	today's Saturday classic is on the discovery of penicillin.
0:18.3	This episode originally came out on September 5th, 2022. Enjoy!
0:25.6	Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production of I-Heart Radio.
0:36.1	Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson. And I'm Holly Fry.
0:41.5	Holly, when you were a kid, did you learn the story of penicillin?
0:47.3	I feel like I didn't get it until later. Okay. Do you remember what you learned?
0:53.3	You know, accidental grew on mold because there was a rumor at our school that you could make your own antibiotics in your bedroom.
1:01.9	Well, we'll talk about something similar to that.
1:06.4	And you better believe my crafty little brain was like, could I? Could I start a little apothecary out of my closet?
1:15.3	Maybe.
1:16.7	So I, like a lot of people, learned this very basic story about Alexander Fleming,
1:22.6	leaving a petri dish out and it getting contaminated with mold.
1:25.8	And then it's just sort of presented as voila,
1:28.6	penicillin.
1:29.3	He did it all by himself.
1:32.2	That is not remotely accurate.
1:35.9	Like, the petri dish and mold part,
	...

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