The discovery of Buckminsterfullerene, the first fullerene molecule of carbon.

Buckminsterfullerene is a type of fullerene with the formula C
₆₀. It has a cage-like fused-ring structure made of twenty hexagons and twelve pentagons, and resembles a football. Each of its 60 carbon atoms is bonded to its three neighbors.

A fullerene is an allotrope of carbon whose molecules consist of carbon atoms connected by single and double bonds so as to form a closed or partially closed mesh, with fused rings of five to six atoms. The molecules may have hollow sphere- and ellipsoid-like forms, tubes, or other shapes.