Called 365: Chemistry for Life, the calendar links almost 250 days of the year to events – triumphal and trivial – in chemistry, health, medicine, energy, the environment and related fields. They range from January 1 – which in 1907 saw the debut of the database that has fostered unprecedented scientific discovery – to December 31 and a scientific law about those New Year’s toasts with champagne. A mouse-click on the days in between revisits Joseph Priestley’s discovery of oxygen; the first successful treatment of diabetes with insulin; George Washington Carver’s discovery of hundreds of new uses for crops like peanuts; Marie Curie’s landmark research on radioactivity and much more.

ACS will hold a contest during the first quarter of 2011 in which visitors to the site can suggest topics for grayed-out dates – or better topics for active dates. The contents of filled-in dates are mere suggestions and not necessarily the final word. Individuals whose topics are accepted for inclusion in the calendar will be eligible for a drawing with prizes that include an iPad, an iPod Touch and an iPod nano.