Decades of research on the structure of the 2‐norbornyl cation afford a new understanding of bonding in carbon compounds and of the electron‐donor capacity of carbon–carbon σ bonds. The bridged or “nonclassical” structure of the 2‐norbornyl cation, which features 3‐center, 2‐electron bonding, is supported by (inter alia) X‐ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, calculations, thermochemical studies, and copious mechanistic evidence. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.