Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a day for lovers, but a scientific discovery on this date should get its due too. With candy, wine, and roses can also come activities that leave a mark long after the champagne is gone…or would, if not for Alexander Fleming, who announced the discovery of penicillin 86 years ago on February 14, 1929.

The Scottish scientist claimed that he had discovered the antibiotic after some of it gained a foothold in an open plate of bacteria, growing into a mold and inhibiting the bacterial growth as it expanded. Scientists have since called this story into question, noting that it doesn’t match up that well with the observed interaction of penicillin and bacteria. But if Fleming came up with a too-cute tale of his discovery, its arrival was no less fortunate. Penicillin made a major difference during World War II, resulting in far fewer deaths and amputations than would have been the case otherwise. In 1945, Fleming shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery.

Since 1929, different strains of penicillin have been used to treat a host of bacterial infections, although bacterial resistance over time has made it less of a “miracle drug” today than when it was introduced. Tonsillitis and gangrene have been treated with penicillin over time, as well as a few products of a Valentine’s Day gone awry, like syphilis and gonorrhea. Because while romance can go sour, an antibacterial treatment will be there for you as long as natural selection allows it to be effective. What could be more heartwarming than that?

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