“Serendipity”

The word has its origin in the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip", in which the protagonists, three princes of the island of Serendip (old name for Sri Lanka), were always making discoveries by accident of things which they were not in quest of.

The notion of serendipity is a common occurrence throughout the history of scientific innovation. Albert Einstein or Alexander Fleming, for example, have recognized this quality in some of their findings.