This document provides information about the Poisson distribution. It begins with background on the mathematician Simeon Denis Poisson who developed the distribution in 1837. The Poisson distribution models the number of random events occurring in a fixed interval of time or space. The key properties are that the probability of an event is constant and events are independent. Several examples of real-world applications are given such as disease occurrences, mutations, and telephone calls. The document then provides the Poisson probability mass function equation and explains how to calculate probabilities for specific values. It also discusses Poisson processes and fitting observed data to a Poisson distribution. Finally, it compares the Poisson distribution to the binomial distribution and outlines their key differences.