is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. The word derives from an old Persian Fairy Tale and was coined by Horace Walpole on 28 January 1754 in a letter he wrote to his friend Horace Mann (not the same man as the famed American educator), an Englishman then living in Florence. The letter read,
:"It was once when I read a silly fairy tale, called '' The Three Princes Of Serendip '': as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of: for instance, one of them discovered that a mule blind of the right eye had travelled the same road lately, because the grass was eaten only on the left side, where it was worse than on the right—now do you understand ''serendipity''? One of the most remarkable instances of this ''accidental sagacity'' (for you must observe that ''no'' discovery of a thing you ''are'' looking for, comes under this description) was of my Lord Shaftsbury, who happening to dine at Lord Chancellor Clarendon's, found out the marriage of the Duke of York and Mrs. Hyde, by the respect with which her mother treated her at table."As given by W.S. Lewis, ed., ''Horace Walpole's Correspondence'', Yale edition, in the book by Theodore G. Remer, ed.: ''Serendipity and the Three Princes, from the Peregrinaggio of 1557, Edited, with an Introduction and Notes, by Theodore G. Remer, Preface by W.S. Lewis''. University of Oklahoma Press, 1965. LCC 65-10112
Ever since I read that poem (Tewkesbury Road by John Masefield) in elementary school, I have reflected on the pleasant smell that often accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. Only recently did I find out, serendipitously, that two Australian scientists, I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas had studied the very same phenomenon and coined the word " Petrichor " to name that aroma. -- Ramnath Subramanian in "Words offer many bridges to learning;" El Paso Times, June 16, 2005.
While some scientists and inventors are reluctant about reporting accidental discoveries, others openly admit its role; in fact serendipity is a major component of scientific discoveries and inventions. According to M.K. Stoskopf {Link without Title} , it should be recognized that serendipitous discoveries are of significant value in the advancement of science and often present the foundation for important intellectual leaps of understanding.".
The amount of contribution of serendipitous discoveries varies extensively among the several scientific disciplines. Pharmacology and Chemistry are probably the fields where serendipity is more common.
Most authors who have studied scientific serendipity both in a historical, as well as in an epistemological point of view, agree that a prepared and open mind is required on the part of the scientist or inventor to detect the importance of information revealed accidentally. This is the reason why most of the related accidental discoveries occur in the field of specialization of the scientist. About this, Albert Hofmann , the Swiss chemist who discovered LSD properties by accidentally ingesting it at his lab, wrote:
"It is true that my discovery of LSD was a chance discovery, but it was the outcome of planned experiments and these experiments took place in the framework of systematic pharmaceutical, chemical research. It could better be described as serendipity."
The French scientist Louis Pasteur also famously said that "in the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind." (Cf. a maxim of Brian Eno 's: "Luck is being ready.")
History, of course, does not record accidental exposures of information which could have resulted in a new discovery, and we are justified in suspecting that they are many. There are several examples of this, however, and prejudice of preformed concepts are probably the largest obstacle. See for example {Link without Title} for a case where this happened (the rejection of an accidental discovery in the field of self-stimulation of the brain in humans)
- Gelignite by Alfred Nobel , when he accidentally mixed collodium ( Gun Cotton ) with Nitroglycerin
- Polyethylene by Hans Von Pechmann , who prepared it by accident in 1898 while heating Diazomethane
- substitute for the United States during World War II .
- Chemical Synthesis of Urea , by Friedrich Woehler . He was attempting to produce Ammonium Cyanate by mixing Potassium Cyanate and Ammonium Chloride and got urea, the first Organic Chemical to be synthesised, often called the 'Last Nail' of the coffin of the Élan Vital Theory
- Pittacal , the first synthetic Dyestuff , by Carl Ludwig Reichenbach . The dark blue dye appeared on wooden posts painted with Creosote to drive away dogs who urinated on them.
- Mauve , the first Aniline Dye , by William Henry Perkin . At the age of 18, he was attempting to create artificial Quinine . An unexpected residue caught his eye, which turned out to be the first aniline dye—specifically, mauveine, sometimes called aniline purple.
- Racemization , by Louis Pasteur . While investigating the properties of sodium ammonium racemate he was able to separate for the first time the two Optical Isomer s of the salt. His luck was twofold: it is the only racemate salt to have this property, and the room temperature in that day was slightly inferior to the point of separation.
- Teflon , by Roy J. Plunkett , who was trying to develop a new gas for Refrigeration and got a slick substance instead, which was used first for lubrication of machine parts
- Cyanoacrilate-based Superglue (a.k.a. ''Krazy Glue'') was accidentally twice discovered by Dr. Harry Coover , first when he was developing a clear Plastic for Gunsight s and later, when he was trying to develop a heat-resistant Polymer for Jet Canopies .
- Scotchgard Moisture Repellant used to protect Fabrics and Leather , was discovered accidentally in 1953 by Patsy Sherman . One of the compounds she was investigating as a Rubber material that wouldn't deteriorate when in contact with Aircraft Fuel . Some of the material spilled onto her new Tennis Shoe s, and would not wash out.
- Cellophane , the most popular clear plastic Wrapper , was developed in 1908 by Swiss chemist Jacques Brandenberger , as a material for covering stain-proof tablecloth.
- The chemical element Helium . British chemist William Ramsay isolated helium while looking for Argon but, after separating Nitrogen and Oxygen from the gas liberated by Sulfuric Acid , noticed a bright-yellow line that matched the D3 Line observed in the Spectrum of the Sun .
- The chemical element Iodine was discovered by Bernard Courtois in 1811 , when he was trying to remove residues with strong Acid from the bottom of his Saltpeter production plant which used Seaweed ashes as a prime material.
- Polycarbonate s, a kind of clear hard Plastic
- The synthetic Polymer Celluloid was discovered by British chemist and metallurgist Alexander Parkes in 1856, after observing that a solid residue remained after evaporation of the Solvent from photographic collodion. Celluloid can be described as the first plastic used for making solid objects (the first ones being Billiard balls, substituting for expensive Ivory ).
- Rayon , the first synthetic Silk was discovered by French chemist Hilaire De Chardonnet , an assistant to Louis Pasteur . He spilled a bottle of Collodion and found later that he could draw thin strands from the evaporated viscous liquid.
- The possibility of synthesizing Indigo , a natural Dye extracted from a plant with the same name was discovered by a chemist named Sapper who was heating Coal Tar when he accidentally broke a Thermometer , and its Mercury content acted as a Catalyst to produce Phthalic Anhydride , which could readily be converted into indigo.
- The dye Monastral Blue was discovered in 1928 in Scotland , when chemist A.G. Dandridge heated a mixture of chemicals at high temperature in a sealed Iron container. Inadvertently, iron reacted with these compounds, producing some Pigment s called Phthalocyanine s. By substituting Copper for iron, he produced an even better pigment called 'monastral blue', which became the basis for many new coloring materials for Paint s, Lacquer s and Printing Ink s.
- Acesulfame , an Artificial Sweetener was discovered accidentally in 1967 by Karl Claus at Hoechst AG .
- Another sweetener, Cyclamate , was discovered by US chemist Michael Sveda , when he smoked a cigarette accidentally contaminated with a compound he had recently synthesized.
- Aspartame (NutraSweet) was also accidentally ingested by G.D. Searle chemist James Schlatter , who was trying to develop a test for an anti- Ulcer drug.
- Post-it Note and 3M, the scientist who accidentally discovered it was attempting to design a strong adhesive, but instead developed one that was very weak.
- Penicillin by Alexander Fleming . He failed to disinfect cultures of Bacteria when leaving for his vacations, only to find them contaminated with '' Penicillium '' Mold s, which killed the bacteria. However, it should be noted that he had previously done extensive research into antibacterial substances.
- The Psychedelic effects of LSD by Albert Hofmann . A chemist, he accidentally ingested a small amount of it upon investigating its properties, and had the first '' Acid Trip '' in history, while cycling to his home in Switzerland; this is commemorated among LSD users annually as Bicycle Day .
- 5-fluorouracil 's therapeutic action on Actinic Keratosis , was initially investigated for its anti- Cancer actions
- Minoxidil 's action on Baldness , originally it was an oral agent for treating Hypertension . It was observed that bald patients treated with it grew Hair too.
- Viagra (sildenafil citrate), an anti- Impotence drug. It was initially studied for use in Hypertension and Angina Pectoris . Phase I clinical trials under the direction of Ian Osterloh suggested that the drug had little effect on angina, but that it could induce marked penile Erection s.
- Retin-A anti- Wrinkle action. It was a Vitamin A derivative first used for treating Acne . The accidental result in some older people was a reduction of wrinkles on the face
- The Libido -enhancing effect of L-dopa , a drug used for treating Parkinson's Disease . Older patients in a sanatorium had their long-lost interest in sex suddenly revived.
- The first Benzodiazepine , Chlordiazepoxide (Librium®) was discovered accidentally in 1954 by the Austria n scientist Dr Leo Sternbach (1908-2005), who found the substance while cleaning up his lab
- The first Anti-psychotic drug, Chlorpromazine , was discovered by French pharmacologist Henri Laborit . He wanted to add an Anti-histaminic to a pharmacological combination to prevent Surgical Shock and accidentally observed that patients treated with it were remarkably calm before the operation.
- the anti- product of the Platinum Electrode he was using.
- Quinine , a derivative of the Cinchone tree was probably discovered by an India n who tried to quench his thirst during a Malaria l attack by drinking water near the plant and saw the Fever abate. Jesuit priests heard the story and popularised its use.
- The anesthetic Nitrous Oxide . Initially well known for inducing altered behavior ( Hilarity , its properties were discovered when British chemist Humphry Davy tested the gas on himself and some of his friends, and soon realised that nitrous oxide considerably dulled the sensation of Pain , even if the inhaler were still semi-conscious.
- The anesthetic Ether
- Mustine , a derivative of the Mustard Gas (a Chemical Weapon ), used for the treatment of some forms of Cancer . In 1943 , physicians noted that the White Cell counts of US soldiers accidentally exposed when a cache of mustard gas shells were bombed in Bari , Italy , were decreased, and mustard gas was investigated as a therapy for Hodgkin's Lymphoma .
- The First Oral Contraceptive (a.k.a. ''The Pill'') was discovered by Dr. Carl Djerassi accidental production of synthetic Progesterone and its intentional modification to allow for oral intake
- Prontosil , an Antibiotic of the Sulfa group was an Azo Dye . German chemists at Bayer had the wrong idea that selective chemical Stain s of bacteria would show specific antibacterial activity. Prontosil had it, but in fact it was due to another substance metabolised from it in the body, Sulfanilimide .
- Bioelectricity , by Luigi Galvani . He was dissecting a Frog at a table where he had been conducting experiments with Static Electricity , Galvani's assistant touched an exposed Sciatic Nerve of the frog with a metal Scalpel , which had picked up a charge, provoking a Muscle contraction.
- Neural control of Blood Vessel s, by Claude Bernard
- Anaphylaxis , by Charles Robert Richet , when he tried to reuse Dog s that hadn't previously shown Allergic reactions to sea Anemone Toxin , developed them much faster and more intense in the second time
- The role of Pancreas in Glucose Metabolism , by Oskar Minkowski . Dogs that had their Pancreas removed for an unrelated physiological investigation, urinated profusely and the urine attracted flies, indicating its high glucose content
- Coronary Catheterization was discovered as a method when a Cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic accidentally injected Radiocontrast into the Coronary Artery instead of the Left Ventricle .
- The Mydriatic effects of Belladonna extracts, by Friedrich Ferdinand Runge
- The Pap Smear medical test for Uterine Cancer was discovered by Dr. Georgios Papanikolaou when he was investigating the cycle of cells in the Vagina l fluid of a cancerous patient.
- Vaccination , discovered by English Physician Edward Jenner , after he observed that Milkmaid s would not catch Smallpox since they caught benign Cowpox first.
- Interferon , an antiviral factor, was discovered accidentally by two Japan ese Virologist s, Yasu-ichi Nagano and Yasuhiko Kojima while aiming to develop an improved Vaccine for Smallpox .
- Discovery of the planet Uranus by William Herschel . A double beneficiary (see below) Herschel certainly wasn't looking for new planets when he found Uranus . Like many astronomers of his time, he was looking for Comets . He first identified Uranus as a comet, naturally, and it was only after noticing the circularity of its orbit and its distance that he proposed that it was a planet, the first "new" one ever.
- Infrared Radiation by William Herschel . Herschel was investigating the temperature differences between different colors of visible light by breaking sunlight into a spectrum using a glass Prism . He put thermometers into the different visible colors, then put one in the darkness beyond the red end of the spectrum. The latter one, put where there was no light, was to act as a control, to measure the background air temperature and then reference the differences in temperature in the light to that. He intended to subtract it from the other temperatures, but to his surprise he could not do so because that thermometer registered a greater temperature than the others! After trying other positions, such as above or below the spectrum, which did give background air temperature, he correctly concluded that there was non-visible radiation beyond the red end of the visible spectrum. It is possible he could have discovered Ultraviolet Radiation the same way, except that glass effectively blocks radiation in that region of the Electromagnetic Spectrum .
- S. N. Bose discovered Bose-Einstein Statistics when a simple math error surprisingly explained anomalous data.
- High-temperature Superconductivity was discovered serendipitously by physicists Johannes Georg Bednorz and Karl Alexander Müller , ironically when they were searching for a material that would be a perfect isolator (nonconducting). They were awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize In Physics for that.
- Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation , by Arno A. Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson . What they thought was an excess Electrical Noise due to Temperature in their Antenna at Bell Labs amounted to the long-sought CMBR.
- Radioactivity , by Henri Becquerel . While trying to investigate Phosphorescent materials using photographic plates, he stumbled upon Uranium .
- X Rays , by Wilhelm Roentgen . Interested in investigating Cathodic Ray Tube s, he noted that some Fluorescent papers in his lab were illuminated at a distance
- Electromagnetism , by Hans Christian Oersted . While he was setting up his materials for a lecture, he noticed a Compass needle deflecting from magnetic north when the Electric Current from the Battery he was using was switched on and off.
- Pulsar s, by Antony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell Burnell . What these Radio-astronomers thought was a Radio emission from Intelligent Sources in a far away Galaxy , resulted in the discovery of a new type of rapidly rotating Star .
- Cosmic Gamma-ray Burst s were discovered in the late 1960s by the US Vela Satellite s, which were built to detect Nuclear Test s in the Soviet Union
- Metallic Hydrogen was found accidentally in March 1996 by a group of scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , after a 60-year search.
- The Thermoelectric Effect was discovered accidentally by Estonian physicist Thomas Seebeck , in 1821 , who found that a Voltage developed between the two ends of a Metal bar when it was submitted to a difference of Temperature .
- Pluto 's moon Charon was discovered by US astronomer James Christy in 1978 . He was going to discard what he thought was a defective photographic plate of Pluto, when his Star Scan machine broke down. While it was being repaired he had time to study the plate again and discovered others in the archives with the same "defect" (a bulge in the planet's image which was actually a large moon).
- Discovery of the principle behind Inkjet printers by a Canon engineer. After putting his hot Soldering Iron by accident on his pen, ink was ejected from the pen's point a few moments later.
- Vulcanization of Rubber , by Charles Goodyear . A piece of rubber mixture with Sulfur was accidentally left by him on a hot plate, producing hard rubber
- The Popsicle came as a commercial idea when Frank Epperson left a glass of Soda Water outside during the winter, and got a cylindrical block of ice with the stirring stick to hold it.
- Safety Glass , by French scientist Edouard Benedictus . In 1903 he accidentally knocked a glass flask to the floor and observed that the broken pieces were held together by a liquid Plastic that had evaporated and formed a thin film inside the flask.
- The Ivory-brand Handsoap had its unique water floating properties discovered at Procter & Gamble soap factory when an absent-minded worker left the mixing machine run for too long, introducing air bubbles into the soap bar, and customers asked for more of it.
- Post-it Notes by Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry . They tried to develop a new glue at 3M, but it would not dry. So they devised a new use for it.
- Corn Flakes and Wheat Flakes (Wheaties) were accidentally discovered by the Kellogs brothers in 1898 , when they left cooked Wheat untended for a day and tried to roll the mass, obtaining a flaky material instead of a sheet.
- The Microwave Oven was invented by Percy Spencer while testing a Magnetron for Radar sets at Raytheon , he noticed that a Peanut candy bar in his pocket had melted when exposed to radar waves.
- Pyroceramic (used to make Corningware , among other things) was invented by S. Donald Stookey , a chemist working for the Corning company, who noticed Crystallization in an improperly cooled batch of tinted glass.
Some ideas and concepts that came to scientists through accidents or even dreams are also considered a kind of serendipity. Some examples (coincidentally all are regarded with suspicion by science historians):
Stories of accidental discovery in Exploration abound, of course, because the aim of exploration is to find new things and places. The principle of serendipity applies here, however, when the explorer had an aim in mind and found another unexpectedly. Some classical cases were:
Serendipity is used as a Sociological method in Anselm L. Strauss ' and Barney G. Glaser 's Grounded Theory , building on ideas by sociologist Robert K. Merton , who in ''Social Theory and Social Structure'' ( 1949 ) referred to the "serendipity pattern" as the fairly common experience of observing an unanticipated, anomalous and strategic datum which becomes the occasion for developing a new theory or for extending an existing theory. Robert K. Merton also coauthored (with Elinor Barber ) '' The Travels And Adventures Of Serendipity '' (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003), which traces the origins and uses of the word "serendipity" since it was coined. The book is "a study in sociological semantics and the sociology of science", as the subtitle of the book declares. It further develops the idea of serendipity as scientific "method" (as juxtaposed with purposeful discovery by experiment or retrospective prophecy).
The short story "Sortilege and Serendipity" by Brian Stableford , set in the Midnight Rose ''Temps'' Shared Universe , defines "serendipity" as a paranormal talent; a form of Divination which enables the Talent to find things or people, provided they are not actually looking for them. It contrasts with " Sortilege ", which is conscious divination.
There are three interrelated debates regarding the meaning of the word ''serendipity'':
- The first debate: are the events referred to by Walpole in his letter to Mann, good examples of ''serendipity'', as defined by Walpole? Expanding on this debate, are any of the adventures of the Three Princes, good examples of Walpole's definition of serendipity?
- The second debate: if the examples of serendipity cited by Walpole are not good examples of serendipity, what should determine the meaning of the word ''serendipity'', Walpole's precise definition, or a definition derived from the adventures of the Three Princes?
- The third debate: given the range of current definitions for the word ''serendipity'', from Walpole's precise or strict definition to extremely loose definitions, what events should be cited as actual occurrences of serendipity?
- "In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind." Louis Pasteur
- "Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for." Lawrence Block
- "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!', but 'That's funny …'" Isaac Asimov
- "In reality, serendipity accounts for one percent of the blessings we receive in life, work and love. The other 99 percent is due to our efforts." Peter McWilliams
- "Serendipity is looking in a haystack for a needle and discovering a farmer's daughter." Julius Comroe Jr.
- "Serendipity is putting a quarter in the gumball machine and having three pieces come rattling out instead of one—all red." Peter H. Reynolds
- "--- you don't reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings ... serendipitously." John Barth , ''The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor''
- "Serendipity is the art of making an unsought finding." Pek Van Andel (1994)
- Serendip is the old Persian name for Sri Lanka .
- The episode in the story is a case of Abductive Reasoning (as used by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes ), which later leads to unsought "serendipitous" rewards from the king.
- The word 'serendipity' has been voted as one of the ten English words that were Hardest To Translate in June 2004 by a British translation company. However, due to its sociological use, the word has been imported into many other languages ( Portuguese ''serendipicidade'' or ''serendipidade''; French ''sérendipicité'' or ''sérendipité'' but also ''heureux hasard'', "fortunate chance"; Spanish ''serendipia''; Italian ''serendipità''; Dutch ''serendipiteit''; German ''Serendipität''; Swedish , Danish and Norwegian ''serendipitet''; Romanian ''serendipitate'').
- The 2002 movie entitled "Serendipity" (Kate Beckinsale, John Cusak) revolves around two people who fall in love in "a series of fortunate accidents"
- The 1999 Kevin Smith movie, Dogma has a muse character with the name Serendipity. (Played by Salma Hayek)
- The 2002 story "Discovering Serendipity" (Written by Misha Vara) explains how Serendipity applies to the everyday's activities. This story tells how two people from different sides of Earth find each other in a new fantastic world, learning what Serendipity is about. She refers to it by being written by the same force that bumped with her since she was four years old. "Serendipity wrote this fantastic story, I was only the media to put it into paper".
, New York, 1998. ISBN 0-375-40223-3 It derives from Novaya Zemlya (or Nova Zembla), a cold, barren land with many features opposite to the lush Sri Lanka (Serendip). On this island Willem Barents and his crew were stranded while searching for a new route to the east.
is derived directly from Bahram Gur as characterized in the "Three Princes of Serendip". It describes the ''suppression'' of serendipitous discoveries or research results by powerful individuals.(a) Sommer, Toby J. "'Bahramdipity' and Scientific Research", ''The Scientist'', '''1999''', ''13''(3), 13.
(b) Sommer, Toby J. "Bahramdipity and Nulltiple Scientific Discoveries," ''Science and Engineering Ethics'', '''2001''', ''7''(1), 77-104.
- Theodore G. Remer, Ed.: ''Serendipity and the Three Princes, from the Peregrinaggio of 1557, Edited, with an Introduction and Notes, by Theodore G. Remer, Preface by W.S. Lewis''. University of Oklahoma Press, 1965. LCC 65-10112
- Robert K. Merton, Elinor Barber: ''The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity: A Study in Sociological Semantics and the Sociology of Science''. Princeton University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-691-11754-3. (Manuscript written 1958).
- Patrick J. Hannan: ''Serendipity, Luck and Wisdom in Research''. iUniverse, 2006. ISBN 0-595-36551-5
- Royston M. Roberts: ''Serendipity: Accidental Discoveries in Science''. Wiley, 1989. ISBN 0-471-60203-5
- Pek Van Andel: "Anatomy of the unsought finding : serendipity: origin, history, domains, traditions, appearances, patterns and programmability." ''British Journal for the Philosophy of Science'', 1994, 45(2), 631-648.
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