Louis Pasteur was born in 1822 in France and studied physics and chemistry, receiving his PhD in 1846. Some of his major discoveries included discovering that crystals could have mirror-image structures and that fermentation was caused by microorganisms like yeast. He developed the process of pasteurization to prevent spoilage in foods and beverages and was the first to create vaccines, successfully testing them against cholera in chickens and rabies in dogs. Pasteur made many contributions in microbiology and vaccinology that saved countless lives and established him as one of the most important scientists in history. He died in 1895 and was buried in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.