Alexander Fleming vs Arnold Palmer
Two child prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Fleming | Arnold Palmer | |
| Field | Music | Sports |
| Sub-field | Musician | Golf |
| Born | 1881 | 1929 |
| Died | 1955 | 2016 |
| Country of birth | SCT | United States |
| Star sign | Leo | Virgo |
Who they are
Alexander Fleming
In September 1928, a Scottish bacteriologist returned from his summer holiday to a cluttered laboratory at St Mary's Hospital in London, and noticed something unusual on a petri dish he had left behind. A mould had contaminated one of his cultures of Staphylococcus bacteria — and around the mould, the bacteria were dead. Alexander Fleming did not immediately grasp that he had just made the most important medical discovery of the twentieth century. But he was curious enough to look more carefully, and careful enough not to throw the dish away. That decision would eventually…
Full biography of Alexander Fleming →
Arnold Palmer
7 Major Championships — The King of Golf Arnie's Army · 62 PGA Tour victories · Made golf must-see television Born September 10, 1929 · Latrobe, Pennsylvania · Died September 25, 2016
Full biography of Arnold Palmer →
What they share
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Different fields: Music for Alexander Fleming, Sports for Arnold Palmer.
- Born in different countries: SCT and United States.
- 48 years separate their births (1881 and 1929).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Fleming or Arnold Palmer?
- Alexander Fleming. Alexander Fleming was born in 1881, Arnold Palmer in 1929.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Fleming is filed under Music (Musician). Arnold Palmer is filed under Sports (Golf).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.

