6000BCE-Americas First cultivation of the tobacco plant.
Americas Huron Indian myth-“In ancient times, when the land was barren and the people were starving, The Great Spirit sent forth a woman to save humanity. As she travelled over the world everywhere her right hand touched the soil, there grew potatoes. And everywhere her left hand touched the soil, there grew corn. And in the place where she had sat, there grew tobacco.”
1492-Christopher Columbus and his crew returned to Europe from the Americas with the first tobacco leaves and seeds ever seen on the continent
And soon tobacco was introduced in Middle East, China, Africa, Korea and India.
1577-Europe European doctors recommended tobacco as a cure for toothache, falling fingernails, worms, halitosis, lockjaw and cancer.
1612-Tobacco was first grown commercially.
1761-England First study of the effects of tobacco by Dr. John Hill: snuff users were warned they risked nasal cancers.
1881-USA First practical cigarette machine patented by James Bonsack. It could produce 120,000 cigarettes a day, each machine doing the work of 48 people. Production costs plummeted, and-with the invention of safety match a few decades later-cigarette smoking began its explosive growth.
Before 1990-Lung cancer was extremely rare.
1913-USA Birth of the “modern” cigarette: RJ Reynolds introduced the Camel brand.
1924-Philip Morris introduced Marlboro as a women’s cigarette as “mild as a May”.
1953-USA Tobacco executives met in New York city to find a way to deal with recent scientific data pointing to the health hazard of cigarettes.
1958-USA Tobacco Institute was formed and in 1960 USA Framingham Heart Study found cigarette smoking increased the risk of heart disease.
1965-WHO established the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) based in Lyons, France.
1965-UK Cigarette advertising on TV was banned.
1967-USA First World Conference on Tobacco or Health held in New York.
1972-Marlboro became the best selling cigarette in the world.
1981-JAPAN Professor Takeshi Hirayama (1923-1995) published the first report linking passive smoking and lung cancer in the non-smoking wives of men who smoked.
1983-Nicotine Gum was first introduced.
1988-First WHO report on the effects of smokeless tobacco.
1990-International Network of Women Against Tobacco (INWANT) FORMED.
1991-International Network Towards Smoke-free Hospitals inaugurated, aiming to give healthy environment to the hospital staff and patients.
1993-USA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared cigarette a Class-A carcinogen.
1994-Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco founded.
1994-First International “Quit & Win” campaign.
1990s-Cigars became fashionable again.
1995-USA “Marlboro Man” David McLean died of lung cancer.
1999-UK Britain’s royal family ordered the removal of its seal of approval and royal crest from Gallaher’s Benson and Hedges cigarettes by 2000.
2001-The Global Network of Pharmacists Against Tobacco launched.
2004-India Complete ban on tobacco advertising and promotions came into effect.
2005-World Dental Federation (FDI) launches Tobacco or Oral Health publication.
2005-WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into force, using international law to reduce tobacco use.
2008-The first WHO MPOWER report on the global status of the tobacco epidemic published.
2008-Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledges $125 million to global tobacco control.
