September 28: Penicillin, Pop Art, and a Big Boat Named William

September 28 is the day history decided to overachieve. We're talking accidental miracle drugs, a giant fleet of ships, and a comic-book painting so famous it basically went "WHAAM!" into the art history books. Buckle up.

The Mould That Launched a Thousand Prescriptions

In 1928, Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming came back to his lab, spotted some bacteria-killing mould growing where it definitely shouldn't have been, and instead of screaming "who forgot to do the dishes?" he discovered penicillin. Proof that not tidying up occasionally pays off spectacularly. Somewhere, a college student is using this as their entire personality.

The overachieving didn't stop there. In 1924, a team of U.S. Army Air Service aviators touched down in Seattle to complete the first aerial circumnavigation of the world — the original "we flew all the way around and all we got was Washington." Legends.

Boats, Brothers, and Big Energy

Rewind to 1066, when William the Conqueror parked his fleet of around 600 ships at Pevensey, Sussex, and kicked off the Norman conquest of England. Six hundred ships is not a subtle arrival. That's not landing — that's making an entrance. Forty years later, in 1106, Henry I of England captured his own brother Robert Curthose at the Battle of Tinchebray, because nothing says family reunion like taking a sibling prisoner.

And in 1963, Roy Lichtenstein's "Whaam!" debuted at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City. A painting of a comic-book explosion is now one of the most important works of the 20th century, which is deeply validating for anyone whose fridge is covered in doodles.

Happy Birthday to the September 28 Squad

Time for cake. Born on this day in 2000 was Frankie Jonas, American actor, singer, and songwriter — better known for years as "the Bonus Jonas," a nickname he has since reclaimed with impressive good humor. The basketball court also got busy in 1995 with the arrival of twins Caleb Martin and Cody Martin, plus Spanish baller Juancho Hernangómez. Genuinely, September 28 recruited a whole starting lineup.

Feast Your Eyes (and Everything Else)

The calendar today honors the Christian feast day of Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint — a genuinely meaningful observance and, frankly, a much cheerier way to celebrate than plotting Norman invasions.

So there you have it: mould that saved the world, ships that changed it, and twins who can dunk. September 28 didn't come to play — it came to conquer, cure, and paint explosions. WHAAM, indeed.