When was penicillin discovered?

Penicillin was discovered by bacteriologist Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928. The accidental discovery occurred when he observed several mold spores had fallen on and destroyed bacteria in an open laboratory dish.

Finding that his discovery could kill a wide variety of bacteria, he began experimenting. After much trial and error, his findings were published in the British Journal of Experimental Pathology in June 1929. The growth and nearly global use of Penicillin as a medicine for humans occurred thereafter. Penicillin, a general term referring to a family of antibiotic drugs, is used to treat bacterial infections caused by Gram-positive organisms.