The history of the electronic cigarette: the invention
Would the electronic cigarette exist without the discovery of tobacco and the invention of the classic cigarette? To understand the history of the electronic cigarette, it is also necessary to dive into the general history of tobacco and the birth of the first cigarette.
1- The birth of tobacco
It is estimated that the first tobacco plants began to be cultivated several thousand years ago. The date varies between 8000 years for the American continent and 3000 years for the European continent. fume infinity
In Europe:
As early as antiquity, the consumption of "tobacco" appears in Europe. Similarly, in Africa, during the Egyptian era. At that time, it was not tobacco as such, but rather the burning of plants and the use of the smoke for healing or prayer. Eucalyptus and pear leaves were used for pipe smoking. However, it is thanks to the plants cultivated in South and Central America that the tobacco we know today came into being.
In America:
The first tobacco crops are believed to date back to Mayan times, some eight thousand years ago. The Maya used tobacco for healing, but also in their religious and magical rituals, various social rites and important ceremonies.
The arrival of tobacco in Europe:
However, Europeans only got to know real tobacco after the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Tobacco was then imported to our continent and marketed. Its business continued to grow over the following centuries.
It was not until 1843, however, that the first official cigarette was invented. It was then seen as an efficient and inexpensive way to consume tobacco. Half a century later, it became an everyday product and even a fashion item, much to the displeasure of health professionals.
Cultivated on all continents, tobacco is now a part of everyday life. Technical and industrial progress has made it easier to produce these cigarettes, which have become more popular than chewing tobacco, pipes or even cigars.
The filter cigarette that we use today first appeared in Switzerland in the 1930s and arrived in French homes in 1950.
2- The birth of the electronic cigarette, a substitute for tobacco
The creation of the electronic cigarette
The electronic cigarette as we know it today has had a tumultuous birth. Its creation date wavers around the year 1963. One thing is certain, it is the American Herbert A. Gilbert who is at the origin. He filed a patent in 1965, evoking the very concept of a tobacco-free electronic cigarette that could replace the traditional cigarette. But this patent was not exploited afterwards.
It was not until 40 years later that a former Chinese pharmacist by the name of Hon Lik capitalized on the concept. Desperate about his father's state of health, weakened by lung cancer which was getting worse and worse due to his addiction to tobacco, he looked for an alternative. He introduced the first real e-cigarette that used ultrasound to vaporise a certain nicotine-based liquid. The first patents for this machine date back to 2006. However, the ultrasonic system was later replaced by a vaporisation technique with heating.
The marketing of the electronic cigarette
The marketing of this invention took a few more years. It is very recent, dating back only to 2009. But it is only since 2010 that the operation of these cigarettes is finally becoming safe. This is the beginning of the development of the electronic cigarette.
