serendipity word origin Sarandib Sri Lanka

The word 'serendipity' comes from an old name for Sri Lanka

In 1754, writer Horace Walpole coined 'serendipity' after a story about the Three Princes of Serendip, whose heroes made discoveries through observation and chance. Serendip was an old name for Sri Lanka, derived through Persian and Arabic forms. A word for fortunate discoveries ultimately traces back to an island in the Indian Ocean.

Breaking Japan’s naval code helped win Midway

U.S. codebreakers penetrated JN-25, the Japanese Navy’s main operational cipher, gaining intelligence that contributed to the American victory at Midway. Japan continued using the system even after its vulnerability became public.

Early Punic settlers had little Levantine ancestry

A DNA study of remains from 14 Phoenician or Punic sites found little or no ancestry from the Levant among people involved in the early Punic expansion across the central and western Mediterranean. After 400 BC, Punic ancestry became widespread but remained a minority at every site studied, including Carthage.

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serendipity word origin Sarandib Sri Lanka

The word 'serendipity' comes from an old name for Sri Lanka

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