Alexander Fleming vs Arthur Rimbaud
Two child prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Fleming | Arthur Rimbaud | |
| Field | Music | Literature |
| Sub-field | Musician | Poet |
| Born | 1881 | 1854 |
| Died | 1955 | 1891 |
| Country of birth | SCT | France |
| Star sign | Leo | Libra |
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 →
Arthur Rimbaud
First major poem at age 15 · Quit writing forever at 20 Author of A Season in Hell & Illuminations · Entire output completed before age 21 Born October 20, 1854 · Charleville, France · Died November 10, 1891
Full biography of Arthur Rimbaud →
What they share
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Different fields: Music for Alexander Fleming, Literature for Arthur Rimbaud.
- Born in different countries: SCT and France.
- 27 years separate their births (1881 and 1854).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Fleming or Arthur Rimbaud?
- Arthur Rimbaud. Alexander Fleming was born in 1881, Arthur Rimbaud in 1854.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Fleming is filed under Music (Musician). Arthur Rimbaud is filed under Literature (Poet).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.