28 February 13

Take some extra vitamin C today, to honor the 112th birthday of Linus Pauling (1901-1994). He became the "Father of the Chemical Bond" through his pioneering work (around 1930) on molecular geometry and bond strengths. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. In later years he became famous for promoting large doses of vitamin C as a cure for the common cold, which is now regarded as an ineffective but "mostly harmless" treatment (although it has some benefit for people who do not get enough vitamin C in their diets).