Coining of 'Serendipity'

Date: January 28, 1754 • Location: Tehran, Iran

The word serendipity, derived from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, was coined by Horace Walpole (pictured) in a letter to a friend.

Serendipity is an unplanned fortunate discovery. The term was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754, after he read a Persian fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip, whose heroes constantly made lucky discoveries.