Once, a poor Scottish farmer, while working his field, heard the cry of a child calling for help. He immediately dropped his tools and ran toward a muddy area from where the voice was coming. What did he see? A terrified boy, already waist-deep in mud, struggling in vain to free himself while screaming. The farmer quickly rescued the boy, who would have surely died a slow and painful death.
The next day, a bright carriage pulled by two horses stopped in front of his house. A well-dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy the farmer had saved. "I would like to reward you for your act," the gentleman said. "You saved my son’s life." "No, it's not possible to pay me for what I did," replied the Scottish farmer, rejecting the offer.
At that moment, the farmer's son appeared at the door of the cottage. "Is this your son?" asked the finely dressed gentleman. "Yes," the farmer answered proudly. "Let’s make a deal. Let me offer your son the same level of education that my son enjoys. If he is anything like his father, surely, as he grows up, he will become someone we both can be proud of."
And so it happened. The farmer’s son attended the best schools and graduated from the renowned medical faculty at St. Mary's Hospital in London. After graduation, he discovered penicillin. His name was Alexander Fleming. The son of the nobleman, who had been saved from the mud, later fell gravely ill with pneumonia. The only way to save him was with penicillin. What was the name of that nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. And the name of his son? Sir Winston Churchill! How life sometimes comes full circle.
The uneducated farmer, the father of the man who discovered penicillin, saved the life of a child who would one day grow up to govern Britain and be internationally hailed as the "Father of Victory" in World War II. Lord Randolph Churchill’s practical gratitude paved the way for Fleming's education, which led to the discovery of penicillin, ultimately saving Winston Churchill’s life a second time.
A wonderful story of two famous individuals, whose fame helped the story become well-known.
In truth, the poor Scottish farmer did a good deed with a pure heart, without any calculation, simply because he believed in the power of doing good, and that goodness went a long way.
Amazing and wonderful story...even though it seems probably not true!
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I wonder if, after having discovered penicillin if Fleming was a "fun guy" to be around?
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