It began with a daydream: the 150th anniversary of the Kekulé benzene structure.

In January 1865, August Kekulé published his theory of the structure of benzene, which he later reported had come to him in a daydream about a snake biting its tail. Although other theories had been postulated before 1865, Kekulé was the first to identify the correct structure. Kekulé's theory resulted in a clear understanding of aromatic compounds and thus had a major impact on the development of chemical science and industry.