Alexander Fleming vs Buster Keaton
Two child prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Fleming | Buster Keaton | |
| Field | Music | Film |
| Sub-field | Musician | Director |
| Born | 1881 | 1895 |
| Died | 1955 | 1966 |
| Country of birth | SCT | United States |
| 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 →
Buster Keaton
Vaudeville at 3 · "The Great Stone Face" · The General — greatest silent film Born into a vaudeville family · Never smiled on screen · Performed every stunt himself Born October 4, 1895 · Piqua, Kansas · Died February 1, 1966
Full biography of Buster Keaton →
What they share
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Different fields: Music for Alexander Fleming, Film for Buster Keaton.
- Born in different countries: SCT and United States.
- 14 years separate their births (1881 and 1895).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Fleming or Buster Keaton?
- Alexander Fleming. Alexander Fleming was born in 1881, Buster Keaton in 1895.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Fleming is filed under Music (Musician). Buster Keaton is filed under Film (Director).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.