Alexander Fleming vs Efim Bogoljubov
Two child prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Fleming | Efim Bogoljubov | |
| Field | Music | Sports |
| Sub-field | Musician | Chess |
| Born | 1881 | 1889 |
| Died | 1955 | 1952 |
| Country of birth | SCT | Russia |
| Star sign | Leo | Aries |
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 →
Efim Bogoljubov
A story — possibly apocryphal, certainly too good not to record — holds that when someone asked Efim Bogoljubov why he was so confident before a particular game, he replied: "When I have White, I win because I have White. When I have Black, I win because I am Bogoljubov." The line captures the man perfectly: large ego, enormous confidence, an infectious delight in chess, and enough genuine talent to partially justify every bit of it. Bogoljubov was not quite the best chess player of his era, but he was very nearly so, and the…
Full biography of Efim Bogoljubov →
What they share
- Near contemporaries - 8 years apart.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Different fields: Music for Alexander Fleming, Sports for Efim Bogoljubov.
- Born in different countries: SCT and Russia.
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Fleming or Efim Bogoljubov?
- Alexander Fleming. Alexander Fleming was born in 1881, Efim Bogoljubov in 1889.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Fleming is filed under Music (Musician). Efim Bogoljubov is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.