Historical Figure
Linus Pauling
1901–1994
American scientist and activist (1901–1994)
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Biography
Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist and peace activist. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. New Scientist called him one of the 20 greatest scientists of all time. For his scientific work, Pauling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. For his peace activism, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. He is one of five people to have won more than one Nobel Prize. Of these, he is the only person to have been awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes, and one of two people to be awarded Nobel Prizes in different fields, the other being Marie Skłodowska-Curie.
In Their Own Words (5)
When an old and distinguished person speaks to you, listen to him carefully and with respect — but do not believe him. Never put your trust into anything but your own intellect. Your elder, no matter whether he has gray hair or has lost his hair, no matter whether he is a Nobel laureate — may be wrong. The world progresses, year by year, century by century, as the members of the younger generation find out what was wrong among the things that their elders said. So you must always be skeptical — always think for yourself.
Linus Pauling: Scientist and Peacemaker (2001) by Clifford Mead and Thomas Hager. , 2001
Science cannot be stopped. Man will gather knowledge no matter what the consequences – and we cannot predict what they will be. Science will go on — whether we are pessimistic, or are optimistic, as I am. I know that great, interesting, and valuable discoveries can be made and will be made… But I know also that still more interesting discoveries will be made that I have not the imagination to describe — and I am awaiting them, full of curiosity and enthusiasm.
Lecture at Yale University, "Chemical Achievement and Hope for the Future." (October 1947) Published in Science in Progress. Sixth Series. Ed. George A. Baitsell. 100-21, (1949). , 1949
Only when I began studying chemical engineering at Oregon Agricultural College did I realize that I myself might discover something new about the nature of the world.
Linus Pauling In His Own Words (1995) by Barbara Marinacci. , 1995
I have always wanted to know as much as possible about the world.
Linus Pauling In His Own Words (1995) by Barbara Marinacci . , 1995
We may, I believe, anticipate that the chemist of the future who is interested in the structure of proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and other complex substances with high molecular weight will come to rely upon a new structural chemistry, involving precise geometrical relationships among the atoms in the molecules and the rigorous application of the new structural principles, and that great progress will be made, through this technique, in the attack, by chemical methods, on the problems of biology and medicine.
Nobel Lecture (11 December 1954). , 1954
Timeline
The story of Linus Pauling, told in moments.
Publishes 'The Nature of the Chemical Bond,' applying quantum mechanics to chemistry. It becomes one of the most cited scientific papers in history. He essentially explains how atoms stick together.
Wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on chemical bonding. He's the first person to propose the alpha helix structure of proteins. He narrowly misses discovering DNA's structure because the State Department confiscated his passport.
Delivers a petition with 11,021 scientist signatures to the United Nations demanding an end to nuclear weapons testing. The Senate Internal Security Subcommittee subpoenas him. He's called a communist sympathizer. He keeps collecting signatures.
Wins the Nobel Peace Prize. He's the only person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes. Chemistry in 1954. Peace in 1962. The Caltech faculty throws him a party. The administration does not.
Dies of prostate cancer in Big Sur, California, at 93. He'd spent his last decades championing massive doses of Vitamin C as a treatment for cancer and the common cold. The medical establishment thought he was wrong. He didn't care.
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