The History of Tobacco
The history of tobacco stretches back far further than even some civilisations with it reported to have first started growing in the Americas some 8000 years ago. From pipe tobacco to chewing tobacco, there have been many different uses of it throughout the years.
To have a full picture of its lineage, take a look at the timeline we’ve compiled below for all the information you could ever need.
• 6000BC – Tobacco plants allegedly start growing in the Americas for the first time on its rich earth.
• 1BC – Historians cite this to be the year when tobacco was first used by the Native American, either for chewing or smoking. In combination with hallucinogenic properties, the natives would habitually smoke the substance during rituals.
• 1400’s – Christopher Columbus receives tobacco from the indigenous people on one of his many voyages to the Americas. It was around this time that sailors started to bring tobacco home with them with it being believed to be a miracle cure.
• 1600’s – tobacco is used frequently as currency throughout the Western World.
• 1760 – Pioneer Pierre Lorillard established the world’s first tobacco company in New York.
• 1847 – Phillip Morris innovates hand-rolled Turkish cigarettes for a modern market.
• 1875 – R.J Reynolds helps establish the classic image of cowboys and chewing tobacco by setting up the first dedicated company for the product.
• 1902 – cigarettes become the most profitable kind of tobacco product. Phillip Morris also established Marlboro in this year.
• 1913 – competition arrives for Marlboro as R.J Reynolds established the Camel brand.
• 1923 – Camel has a grip on the market with an impressive 45% share.
• 1924 – the first cigarettes marketed towards women are released by Marlboro called ‘Mild as Mary’.
• 1939-1945 – WWII brings with it a peak for cigarettes as demand soars. Soldiers receive millions of free cigarettes as rations.
• 1954 – menthol cigarettes are first made by R.J Reynolds
• 1960’s – the ‘mad men’ of Madison Avenue market the cigarette to all audiences with their expertise; cigarette sales remain very high. Pall Mall is the highest seller.
• 1970 – 9 billion cigars are smoked at this time throughout the whole world.
• 1976 – the US is the country where the most people smoke with a per capita rate of 2905. Phillip Morris manages $4 billion in profits.
• 1981 – cigarette consumption exceeds 640 billion for the year with low-tar versions being in the majority.
• 1989 – Phillip Morris reaches $45 billion in revenues; Marlboro has 45% of the market share.
• 2000’s – public smoking bans are found throughout the world but sales remain steady.
