Tobacco Prevention articles 2: Smoking’s History

Extract from GASP leaflet 'Tobacco is deadly in all its forms'

Pre-history	Mayans of Central America smoked, chewed and snuffed tobacco for 2000 years. Tobacco use spread over central and north America.
1492	Columbus observed native people smoking tobacco and noted it in his journal.
1519	Tobacco leaves brought to Europe.
1556	Tobacco seeds arrived in Europe.
1570	Tobacco plant named Nicotiniana after Jean Nicot, French Ambassador to Portugal who enthused about tobacco’s medicinal uses.
1585 - 6	English colonists in Virginia took tobacco back to England. Sir Walter Raleigh a pipe smoker popularised smoking for pleasure.
1604	King James (1 England /VI Scotland) wrote ‘Counterblaste to Tobacco’
1660	Snuff introduced to England from France.
1820s	Flue-curing of tobacco began.
1828	‘Nicotine’ isolated as active ingredient.
1840 - 70	New plants strains and curing methods produced milder, mellower tobacco.
1854 - 56	European soldiers take up Turkish rolled cigarettes during the Crimean War.
1881	US patented cigarette machine, produced 200 cigarettes per hour.
1914 -18	Great War spread smoking.
Post 1918	Women began smoking cigarettes.
1929	Filter cigarette introduced.
1937	Cigarette tar produced cancer in laboratory animals.
1938	US researchers noted non-smokers lived longer than smokers.
1950 - 56	UK researchers linked cigarette smoking with lung cancer.
1962	Smoking and Health report published by Royal College of Physicians.
1964	US Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health.
1965	Cigarette advertising banned on UK TV. Health warnings printed on US cigarette packs.
1970	Cigarette advertising banned on US radio and TV.
1971	Health warnings appear in UK. ASH set up.
1973	Tar and nicotine yields published. ‘Milder’ brands introduced.
1984	First No Smoking Day launched.
1986	Tobacco advertising banned in cinemas.
1988	Report on passive smoking published. World Health Organisation introduced World No Tobacco Day.
1993	Doctors’ study showed one in two smokers die from tobacco causes diseases and smokers 3 times more likely to die in middle age.
1997	Smokers reached 1 billion worldwide with China in the lead.
1998	US tobacco executives admitted nicotine is addictive.
2000 - 2004	EU directive on health warnings and tobacco regulation. EU ban on tobacco advertising phased in. Framework Convention on Tobacco Control adopted by 171 member states.
2003	New York City introduced smokefree law.
2004 - 2005	Ireland introduced smokefree law. Other countries followed including New Zealand, Norway and Italy.
2006 – 2007	Scotland introduced smokefree law followed by other UK countries the following year.
2008	Picture warnings and more regulation.
2010 - future	Annual tobacco related deaths predicted to rise from 5 to 10 million by 2020. The Framework Convention Alliance will act to reduce tobacco use worldwide.