In 1984, the American Chemical Society (ACS) awarded the Priestley Medal to Linus Pauling ‘for his numerous contributions to chemistry,” the Society’s most prestigious award. Pauling leaves a vast legacy not only as one of the greatest chemists of the 20th century and one of the most prominent scientists of all time, but also as a peace activist.

He is also the only person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes, the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. Beginning in 1927, Pauling published almost 50 papers and was awarded the Langmuir Prize by ACS for outstanding interdisciplinary research in chemistry and physics. He was also named full professor of chemistry at Caltech. In 1939, Pauling summarized his ideas in the book “The Nature of the Chemical Bond,” still considered an important work in modern chemistry.

In addition to his work on molecular structure and function, Pauling also developed explosives and rocket propellants during World War II. He was invited to head the chemistry program of the Manhattan Project, but he declined the offer simply because he did not want to uproot his wife and four children. Pauling joined with other scientists to call for limitations on nuclear testing. In recognition of this work, Pauling was awarded the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. Despite his humanitarian goals, Pauling’s efforts were controversial in that they advocated for changes that were not consistent with the official policy of the U.S. government.

Pauling wrote more than 500 papers and 11 books, won numerous scientific awards and prizes, and served as president of ACS in 1949. He died of prostate cancer in 1994 at age 93.