By 1925, when Popular Science reported the findings of the US Public Health Service’s first-ever survey on the common cold, many still clung to outdated beliefs despite four decades of germ science.

The common cold is called “common” for a reason. Colds are highly contagious with adults averaging two to four colds annually and children catching even more colds, according to the American ...

The common cold is a contagious respiratory viral illness, passed on from person to person. The most common cold virus is called a rhinovirus and it causes about half of all colds.