The year was 1942 sparked
by the Second World War President
Roosevelt looked to the scientific
community to aid in the war effort
Milislav Demerec director of Cold Spring
Harbor began work on a way to boost
penicillin production at a time when
global supplies were only enough to
treat 10 people he exposed penicillium
mold to x-rays and when he did it caused
mutations that made the mold spores
reproduce at incredibly high rates this
discovery allowed penicillin to be
mass-produced which increased the
survival rates of injured soldiers on
the front lines and brought attention to
the importance of scientific research
which led the U.S. to underwrite
research efforts during war and peace
time and set the stage for America's
world leadership in science and
technology since 1945.
