HEALTH: The Antibiotic Resistance Crisis and Historical Parallels Since Fleming's 1928 discovery of penicillin, antibiotics have prevented an estimated 200+ million deaths, yet resistance now kills 1.27 million people annuallyāprojected to reach 10 million deaths/year by 2050 if unchecked. The overuse pattern mirrors the 1960s-70s when farmers began routine livestock antibiotic administration, accelerating resistance development; today, 70% of antibiotics sold globally go to animals, not humans. This matters because we're approaching a "post-antibiotic era" where routine surgeries and infections become lethal againāreturning us to pre-1940s mortality conditions. Without coordinated global stewardship, standard treatments for common infections will fail, destabilizing healthcare systems and economic productivity across all nations.