My Aunt sent me this- I have never heard this before but just amazing;

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His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

'I want to repay you,' said the nobleman. 'You saved my son's life.'

'No, I can't accept payment for what I did,' the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

'Is that your son?' the nobleman asked.
'Yes,' the farmer replied proudly.

'I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.' And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill .. His son's name?

Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around.

Charming but Fanciful

Well- seems to be BS...but not 100% proven BS.....Sad- it was the kind of story that would make everyone feel good.....

quote Originally posted by cvxjet: Well- seems to be BS...but not 100% proven BS.....

Just 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999% proven!

quote Churchill’s official biographer, Sir Martin Gilbert, first noticed a flaw in the story: the ages of Churchill and Alexander Fleming. The latter was seven years younger than Churchill. Would he have been plowing a field at, say, age 7, when Churchill was 14?

A farmer's son plowing a field during that time frame at age 7? I wouldn't doubt it for a minute. Farm kids start early even in my generation. I was driving a tractor at age 10 and other times, at 12 was working in my father's auto shop.

It is a sort of coincidence, that the subject of coincidences came up here today. I was just discussing one on another board just a few minutes ago, involving an actor. George Reeves played the original superman on TV in the late 50s early 60s. He eventually (at age 45) killed himself, with a gun. How does that happen some asked as we had all seen bullets bounce off him... ( "Kryptonite bullet" was the answer?) And the next superman also turned out not to be so super after being thrown from a horse.

But, the other coincidence part..

Anyone my age would have noticed that 3 different 'he man' types of the era all had the same last name...
Christopher Reeves as the movie Superman (above pictures)
George Reeves was the old TV superman.
and main character of Hercules, Hercules Unchained and Goliath (late 50s movies) was played by Steve Reeves.
(None were related to the others)


Off subject a bit...
Steve Reeves (Hercules) turned down both the main male lead (James Bond) in Dr No, and the lead (man with no name) in Fist Full of Dollars that eventually went to Clint Eastwood who prior to that, his only exposure was as Rowdy Yates on TV's Rawhide. Fist Full of Dollars and the sequels catapulted Eastwood to stardom and acting demand. Wonder how Eastwood's career would have unfolded had Reeves accepted the job?

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 03-09-2024).]

Winston Churchill was born in 1874- he was the young boy stuck in the mud (And rescued by Fleming the father of...) Alexander Fleming was born in 1881...He was the young boy at the door of his family's hovel....I don't see where he was "Plowing a field".....

And I have always thought it was a bizarre coincidence that Superman was played by George Reeves and then by Christopher Reeves.....And that both men met with tragedy (Although Christopher became a real "Superman" after his disability)

[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 03-09-2024).]

quote Originally posted by maryjane: A farmer's son plowing a field during that time frame at age 7? I wouldn't doubt it for a minute. Farm kids start early even in my generation. I was driving a tractor at age 10 and other times, at 12 was working in my father's auto shop.

I doubt a Scottish farmer had a tractor in the 1800's. Could a 7 year old boy handle a plow being pulled by a horse?

quote Originally posted by Patrick: I doubt a Scottish farmer had a tractor in the 1800's. Could a 7 year old boy handle a plow being pulled by a horse?

Depends on the horse. He does all the work except for turning around. A docile equine in harness won't do anything without verbal input from the person holding the plow handles. Every harnessed horse or mule I ever saw in the states had blinders on--all they could see was straight ahead.

Who knows how they did things in Scotland way back when. The American Shetlands are often known to have a mean streak and they like to bite. Maybe the original Shetlands were less ornery, better trained and behaved.