The History of Tobacco

By TurtleMcDerp
  • 1 BCE

    Tobacco Begins...

    Natives start finding ways of using tobacco including chewing on the leaves or wrapping them and smoking them
  • 1492

    Columbus Discovers Tobacco

    While in the Bahamas, Columbus is given "Certain Dried Leaves" as a gift from native americans
  • 1492

    Rodrigo de Jerez Discovers Smoking

    While in Cuba searching for the Khan of Cathay, Jerez finds out that the natives wrap the tobacco and smoke it.
    He takes this habit home but does not get the reaction he expected.
    Due to the smoke coming out of his facial orifices, people suspected he had been possessed by the devil and locked him in prison for 7 years
  • 1518

    Juan De Grialva Reports the First Recorded Cigarette

    While in Yucatan, Grialva observes natives smoking cigarettes
  • 1548

    Portugal Decides To Start Growing Tobacco for Export.

  • 1556

    France is Introduced To Tobacco

  • 1558

    Spain and Portugal are Introduced to Tobacco

  • First Published Work Solely On Tobacco

    First Published Work Solely On Tobacco
    "Tobacco" by Anthony Chute is created in England

  • Settlers Find Tobacco is a Good Trade

    Settlers in Virginia find out that other crops are not as profitable as tobacco so Virginia decides to trade 1,500,000lbs to England each year

  • Tobacco Funding

    While fighting England for independence, tobacco becomes one of America's main sources of funding and motivation.

  • Bad Signs Start

    John Hill reports that snuff may cause nasal cancer
    (Snuff was tobacco in powder form which was inhaled through the nose)

  • Lung Cancer Gaining Traction

    Lung cancer is not a huge epidemic yet with only 140 cases of it

  • Regulations

    Selling or giving a cigarette to a minor has been outlawed in some states. In some states, a minor could be as old as 24

  • Washington Bans

    Washington bans/outlaws the use or sale of cigarettes entirely.

  • Iowa, Tennessee and North Dakota Ban Join The Ban

    Iowa, Tennessee and North Dakota all outlaw the use or sale of cigarettes just as Washington did.

  • Tobacco Fades from Drug List

    Tobacco does no show up in the official government listing of drugs

  • Smoking Ban

    Smoking is banned inside the US Senate due to him complaining about "irritated lungs"

  • Several State Ban

    "15 states have banned the sale, manufacture, possession, advertising and/or use of cigarettes."

  • CBS Spreads Awareness

    CBS airs the first ever TV News segment talking about the dangers of cigarettes and smoking

  • TV/Radio Ban

    The FDA orders all commercials for cigarettes be taken down or not aired. This accounted for TV as well as Radio stations

  • Flight Ban

    Smoking is declared illegal on domestic flights

  • Film Censorship

    The Motion Picture Association of America says that smoking in a film could potentially affect its parental rating.

  • Works Cited

    Borio, Gene. “Tobacco.org.” Tobacco Timeline, archive.tobacco.org/History/Tobacco_History.html#1book. Lawler, David. “From Marlboro Man to Smoking Ban: a Timeline of Tobacco in America.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 14 Nov. 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11230175/From-Marlboro-Man-to-smoking-ban-a-timeline-of-tobacco-in-America.html.