Serendipity refers to a fortunate discovery made by chance. A famous example in the field of biomedical research occurred in 1928 at St Mary's Hospital in London. While examining staphylococci, or staph bacteria, the physician and microbiologist Alexander Fleming observed that bacteria were less prevalent on a dish where mold was present. He cultivated more of this mold and named it based on its Latin designation, *Penicillium*. Fleming discovered that this mold was effective against bacteria responsible for diseases such as pneumonia and other infections. The term "serendipity" was introduced by Horace Walpole, inspired by the fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip" (1754). Serendip was the ancient Persian name for Sri Lanka.
