Alexander Fleming vs Chien-Shiung Wu
Two child prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Fleming | Chien-Shiung Wu | |
| Field | Music | Science |
| Sub-field | Musician | Physics |
| Born | 1881 | 1912 |
| Died | 1955 | 1997 |
| Country of birth | SCT | China |
| Star sign | Leo | Gemini |
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 →
Chien-Shiung Wu
Wu Experiment 1956 — Proved parity violation, overturned a law of physics The First Lady of Physics · Columbia University · Wolf Prize 1978 Born May 31, 1912 · Liuhe, China · Died February 16, 1997
Full biography of Chien-Shiung Wu →
What they share
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Different fields: Music for Alexander Fleming, Science for Chien-Shiung Wu.
- Born in different countries: SCT and China.
- 31 years separate their births (1881 and 1912).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Fleming or Chien-Shiung Wu?
- Alexander Fleming. Alexander Fleming was born in 1881, Chien-Shiung Wu in 1912.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Fleming is filed under Music (Musician). Chien-Shiung Wu is filed under Science (Physics).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.