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 ...

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reported the findings of the US Public Health Service’s first-ever survey on the common cold, many still clung to outdated beliefs despite four decades of germ science.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