These guys are about 30 nanometers in diameter; one nanometer is one billionth of a meter - so, pretty small.
The rhinovirus belongs to the same family of viruses as the enterovirus, and also polio - Picornaviridae. Fortunately the rhinovirus does not cause severe illness, but it can make us miss a day or two of work. I mention the enterovirus because it is more closely related to the rhinovirus than other member of the family, leading some scientists to think the latter evolved from the former. Some mutations may have occurred in a strain of enterovirus that made it vulnerable to low pH, such as what is found in the stomach (where they "live"), causing it to carve out a niche elsewhere. Because of the nature of viral evolution it doesn't seem possible to pinpoint when the split occurred, but there are those who think there may have been a common cold for as long as there has been civilization, and maybe even before Homo sapiens. (the scientist)
Because there are many different serotypes of rhinovirus a vaccine has not been, and may not ever be forthcoming. Anyway, there aren't many people worried about it since the common cold is self-limiting and usually pretty harmless (though it may exacerbate asthma.) There has been some speculation about prevention or treatment through diet, mostly focusing on vitamin C, zinc, and echinacea, and I know that I always go hard on the OJ when I feel a cold coming on, but there is not a lot of evidence showing that supplementing with these can prevent or shorten illness. Still, they are good for your immune system, and nobody should be discouraged from taking them.
Well, last night I had some rhinoviruses causing havoc in my throat, and that had me up coughing in the wee hours of the morning. Today it seems they have finally gone, and I hope not to come in contact with them anymore - at least not until next Winter, the tiny bastards.
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