The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat: The Story of the Penicillin Miracle by Eric Lax is fascinating. Published in 2005, Lax dispels the myth that penicillin was discovered accidentally when working in London, Alexander Fleming left a lid off of a petri dish when he went on vacation. Lax explains why that could not have happened although he does credit Fleming with discovering penicillin. Other scientists took up the research when Fleming stopped. The U.S. Army identified the mass production of penicillin as its second priority after the Manhattan project. They wanted enough penicillin to treat wounded soldiers after the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion in France.