Today in Science History

On May 20 in 1747, British ship's surgeon James Lind begins an experiment on HMS Salisbury in which he strictly controlled the diets of 12 sailors with scurvy; those receiving lemons and oranges showed "sudden and visible good effects." The study is now a classic; it produced a cure for the disease that had killed millions, led to reforms in naval health practices, and shaped the fates of nations.
—from The Illustrated Almanac of Science, Technology, and Invention