America is and has always been accociated with tobacco just like with Coca Cola. Recall all those old black and white movies and images, where atros and actresses smoke. Cowboys and gangsters always smoked. Let us see key facts and dates about smoking and tobacco in the USA.
1492: Christopher Columbus comes to North America and meets natives who give him dried tobacco leaves as a gift. Natives used them for smoking in pipes.
1612: British colonists in Virginia start to plant tobacco and disover that it is more profitable than other crops. Starting from 1640 tobacco becomes most profitable export of American colonies, with 1,500,000lbs shipped annually from American state of Virginia to England.
1776: Tobacco is the main source of funding of America’s fighters for independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were owners of large tobacco plantations and used these money in the war for independence.
1880s: It is the first time when appear concerns about tobacco use and its effects on health. A number of America's states prohibit sale of cigarettes to teens during the second half of the 19th century.
1900s: Four states banned sale of cigarettes. The organiztion called Anti-Cigarette League of America demands other states to do the same. However, in spite of this, in 1900 there were sold 4.4 billion cigarettes.
1918: After World War I soldiers come home addicted to smoking due to escessive tobacco consumption during the war. This is the first generation of people addicted to smoking. This is the beginning of cigarettes popularity.
1950s: American Surgeon General releases a report which connects smoking to lung cancer and from this time the US government takes first steps to fight tobacco use.
1965: New law imposes that tobacco companies must put health warnings on cigarettes packs.
1970: In the USA cigarettes ads are banned from radio and TV.
1975: Minnesota is the first American state to prohibit smoking in public places. Smokers are moved to designated areas.
1987: Some of American cities prohibit smoking in restaurants.
1990: Smoking is prohibited on domestic flights across the USA.
1993: Smoking is banned in the White House.
2007: The Motion Picture Association of America says that smoking in movies may have an impact on kids.
2011: Smoking is banned in Central Park and Times Square in New York city.
2014: Westminster, Massachusetts discusses the possibility to ban sale of tobacco products in the city.
