Chronography of Tobacco and Smoking
Page last
modified 27/10/2021
See Morals and Fashions page for more social morals
timelines
UK smoking
prevalence
|
|
All adults |
Men |
Women |
|
2020 |
15.0% |
|
|
|
2019 |
14.8% |
|
|
|
2017 |
15.5% |
|
|
|
2015 |
17.2% |
|
|
|
2011 |
20.2% |
|
|
|
1994 |
28.0% |
|
|
|
1988 |
|
33.0% |
30.0% |
|
1984 |
33.0% |
36.0% |
32.0% |
|
1974 |
46.0% |
|
|
|
1972 |
|
52.0% |
41.0% |
US smoking prevalence %
|
|
Adults 21+ |
Adult males |
Adult females |
|
1976 |
33.5 |
39.3 |
28.9 |
|
1970 |
36.3 |
42.3 |
30.5 |
|
1964 |
42.5 |
52.5 |
31.5 |
US cigarette production, consumption (m = millions)
|
Year |
Production |
Consumption |
Per capita, adults 18+ |
% smokers |
|
1971 |
|
547,200 m |
|
|
|
1970 |
|
|
|
42(M), 31(F) |
|
1968 |
|
517,100 m |
4,100 |
|
|
1966 |
|
|
|
52(M), 34(F) |
|
1964 |
|
524,000 m |
4,300 |
|
|
1930 |
130,000 m |
|
|
|
|
1925 |
82,200 m |
|
|
|
|
1923 |
66,700 m |
|
|
|
|
1921 |
48,000 m |
43,000 m |
|
|
|
1917 |
35,300 m |
|
|
|
|
1910 |
8,600 m |
10,000 m |
|
|
|
1875 |
50 m |
|
|
|
5/2017,
Cigarettes sold in the UK could now only be retailed in plain packets.
10/2/2014, In the UK, MPs
voted to ban smoking in cars carrying children.
7/2007, The UK banned
smoking in �enclosed workplaces�, including bars and restaurants.
4/2007,
Wales banned snoking in public places.
24/1/2005, JD
Wetherspoon announced that all its 650 pubs were to be smoke-free from 2006,
with 60 of its London pubs banning smoking by May 2005.
3/2004,
Ireland
became the first EU country to ban smoking in the workplace.
15/1/1998, Five cigarette manufacturers agreed a settlement with the State of
Texas for US$ 7.25 billion in compensation for the treatment costs of
tobacco-related diseases. This was the largest payment in history. However this
settlement was dwarfed on 20/11/1998 by a settlement of US$206 billion by the 4
largest US tobacco firms to agree claims by all US States.
1/1/1998, California banned smoking in all its bars and restaurants.
2/1/1997, The US State of California extended its smoking ban to bars and other
drinking establishments.
7/1/1993, In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency released the
results of a 4-year study proving that second-hand
cigarette smoke was killing 3,000 non-smokers a year through lung cancer, as
well as causing asthma attacks and respiratory infections in babies.
1992, Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceuticals, in Switzerland,
produced the first nicotine skin patch.
24/6/1992, The
family of US
woman Rose
Cipollone, who died of lung cancer after 42 years of smoking,
succeeded in a lawsuit against the cigarette companies.
1988, In the US, smoking was banned on all airline flights of less than 2
hours duration.
1/9/1987, Belgium
became one of the first countries to ban smoking inside public buildings, two decades before Britain followed suit.
29/3/1985, Luther Terry, US
Surgeon-General whose report in 1964 concluded that smoking caused cancer,
died.
1976, Adult smoking
prevalence in the USA had decreased, but total cigarette consumption wa sup,
due to a growing population and the increasing popularity of cigarettes with
teenagers, especially girls.
1980, Nicorette chewing gum
(registered in the USA 1981) became available in the UK, as a method of getting
off cigarette addiction.
1971, Awareness of the health risks of passive
smoking began to increase.
1971, Cigarette adverts were banned on
US radio and television.
6/1969, Canada banned tobacco
advertising on radio and TV.
1966, In the USA, cigarette
packets had to carry labels warning of the health risks.
31/7/1965, The last advert for
cigarettes appeared on British TV.
8/2/1965. The British Government, Health Minister Kenneth Robinson, announced
a ban on cigarette advertising on TV, to take effect on 31/7/1965.
1964, Public pressure forced the
tobacco industry to stop advertising
in college newspapers, sports programs and on college radio.
11/1/1964. Health experts in America
published the first warnings that cigarettes could be dangerous for your
health.
1961, US cigarette producers
spent US$ 115 million on TV advertising, up from US$ 40 million in 1957. Cancer fears were threatening their sales.
Rise of filter tip cigarettes
27/5/1959, Sales of
filter tipped cigarettes helped tobacco manufacturers maintain sales after
recent reports linking smoking to cancer.
1926, Du Maurier produced the
first filter cigarette. In te 1930s filter tips were advertised as �removing
many of the throat irritants� from smoking.
1907, The first filter tip cigarettes were produced. Cork was initially used
for the filter.
12/7/1957, US Surgeon-General Leroy
E Burney announced the US Public Health Service�s belief that there
was a direct causal relationship between smoking and lung cancer.
27/6/1957, The Medical Research Council announced that
smoking caused cancer.
26/6/1957. The UK government began an anti-smoking campaign, despite fears that this
would cause tax revenue to fall. As recently as 1956, the Health Minister, Mr R Turton, had said there was no proof that
smoking caused any harm, but recent reports in the UK and USA now suggested
links to some bronchial and heart diseases.
7/5/1956. The UK Health Minister refused to back an
anti-smoking campaign because he wasn�t convinced it was harmful.
12/1/1954, A UK official committee linked cigarettes with cancer.
1933, �Mentholated� cigarettes were on sale,
marketed as being more sophisticated than ordinary ones.
1930, Hollywood
helped glamourise cigarette smoking by having film stars smoke in many films.
10/8/1928, British cigarette smoking was rising fast (see
Cigarette Cards, 1902). In 1924 the
country consumed 77,458,000 lbs of tobacco, up from 23,766,000 lbs in 1907,
according to figures from the Imperial economic Committee. In 1927 Britons
consumed 3.4 lbs of tobacco per head. All the increase was from cigarettes;
pipe smoking and cigars had declined. Cigarette sales were boosted by marketing
techniques such as free cards, and cigarette
smoking had become a powerful symbol of female emancipation. Younger females
also saw the habit as romantic. However some doctors were concerned about links
to the rise in various cancers.
24/1/1927, The British Medical
Association warned that cancer deaths,
especially of the chest and tongue, had risen sharply in the past 20 years. Smoking had become much more popular over
this period.
25/1/1926, British
surgeon Sir
Berkeley Moynihan said cancer of the tongue was partly caused by
smoking.
21/3/1923. �Scientists in Paris claimed smoking is
beneficial.
11/4/1921, Iowa became the first US State to impose a
cigarette tax, of 2 cents per pack. By 1991 this tax stood at 36 cents.
28/10/1912, Birth of Sir Richard Doll, British cancer
specialist who proved the link between
cigarette smoking and cancer.
1910, US cigarette sales reached
8.6 billion; 62% of sales were controlled by the American Tobacco Trust, set up in 1890. US tobacco
companies spent US$ 18.1 million on advertising this year.
2/8/1907, Dr Herbert Tidswell, a Devon GP, spoke out at
a meeting of the British Medical Association about the undesirability of
allowing children to smoke. He claimed smoking could cause cancer, but other doctors were
unconvinced that moderate smoking was dangerous.
1902, Cigarette Cards were first used in cigarette packets. They were a
powerful sales tool, used until well after World War Two, as people tried to
collect full sets of them. By 1936 there vwere �cartophilists�, those who collected, arranged and studied such
cards; a hobby which peaked in the 1930s and 40s.
1853, In Cuba, Don Luis opened the world�s first
mechanised factory for mass-producing cigarettes.
1843, The Manufacture Francaise
des Tabacs (French Tobacco Factory)
opened as the world�s first commercial cigarette factory.
1761, The first association
between tobacco and cancer was observed by London physician John Hill. He reported six cases of
�polypusses� related to excessive use of snuff in his work, �Cautions Against
the Immoderate Use of Snuff�.
1612,Tobacco cultivation began
in Virgina, USA.
1604, King James I of England
described smoking tobacco as �a custome lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the
nose, harmful to the braine, dangerous to the lungs, and in the blacke and
stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the Stigian smoke of the pit that is
bottomless�. He imposed large import taxes on tobacco.
1550, Tobacco first brought to Europe, from the Americas, and
cultivated in Spain.