The document summarizes the Biginelli reaction, which was discovered in 1893 by Italian chemist Pietro Biginelli. It involves the acid-catalyzed cyclocondensation of beta-keto esters, aldehydes, and urea or thiourea in alcohols to produce dihydropyrimidinones (DHPMs). DHPMs have potential pharmaceutical applications and several exhibit biological activities. The document discusses the reaction mechanism, recent advances like asymmetric synthesis and solid-phase approaches, and applications of DHPMs such as in pharmacology and natural product synthesis.