Louis Pasteur

Bonjour. My name is Louis Pasteur. I grew up in a lovely town in France. When I was a little boy, I loved to draw pictures and ask lots of questions. I always wanted to know how everything worked, especially the things you can't see.

I discovered that there are teeny-tiny living things all around us. They are so small you can't see them without a special tool called a microscope. I called them 'germs.' I learned that some of these germs could get into our food and milk and make them go sour. Yuck. But I had a clever idea. I found that if we heat up the milk just enough, it zaps the bad germs away and keeps the milk fresh and safe to drink. This is called 'pasteurization'—they even named it after me.

After I learned about germs, I wanted to find a way to stop them from making people and animals sick. I worked very hard in my laboratory and created special medicines called vaccines. A little shot of the vaccine would teach your body how to fight off the germs so you wouldn't get sick. One time, in the year 1885, I even helped a young boy named Joseph who was bitten by a sick animal, and my vaccine saved him. It felt so good to help.

I lived to be 72 years old, and I spent my life looking for ways to help others. My work with germs changed the world. Today, when you drink a fresh, cold glass of milk or get a shot from the doctor to stay healthy, you can think of me, Louis, and my tiny discoveries that made a big, happy difference for everyone.