Nitrogen is simply abbreviated as N on the periodic table. It was named after the French word nitrogène, coined in 1790 by Jean-Antoine Chaptal, combining nitre (referring to potassium nitrate, or saltpeter) and the Greek -genes (meaning “producing” or “forming”).

Nitrogen is a fairly common element—it’s the seventh most abundant in the Milky Way galaxy.

It makes up about 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Nitrogen was discovered in 1772 by British chemist Daniel Rutherford. He originally called it “noxious air.”

He suggested the name azote for nitrogen, from the ancient Greek meaning “no life,” since it doesn’t support life the way oxygen does.

Your body is about 3% nitrogen, making it one of the most common elements within you.

Nitrogen is a key ingredient in DNA, amino acids, and proteins. Without it, life literally would not exist.

It’s often used in food packaging to keep snacks fresh by replacing the oxygen inside.

Museums use nitrogen to prevent artifacts from oxidizing.

Nitrogen is also the reason plasma globes have a purple or blue hue.