Serendipity

Historical eventJanuary 281754

Serendipity

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.

Everything on January 28Original source

In context

When
Monday, January 28 1754272 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
18th century · 1750s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1754.

Type: phenomenon.

What happened

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.

January 28 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1754Serendipity
  2. 1986Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
  3. 1986Space Shuttle program
  4. 1988R v Morgentaler
  5. 2002TAME Flight 120
  6. 2006Katowice International Fair
  7. 20212021 Georgia poultry plant accident
  8. 2023Tyre Nichols protests
  9. 20262026 Rubaya mines collapses
  10. 2026Storm Kristin
  11. 2026Learjet 45

Also in 1754

  • May 28French and Indian WarFrench and Indian War: Led by 22-year-old George Washington, a company of Virginia colonial militiamen ambushed a force of 35 Canadiens a…
  • July 3French and Indian WarFrench and Indian War: George Washington surrendered Fort Necessity in Pennsylvania, the only military surrender in his career.

Everything we record for 1754 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Serendipity”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/serendipity-1754-january-28, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Serendipity happen?

January 28 1754 — 272 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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