It’s natural to think of vaping as a purely modern phenomenon. But the history of e-cigarettes goes further back than you might realise.
How long has vaping been around?
Vaping involves the use of an electronic device where heat is applied a liquid, converting it into a vapour that the user then inhales. While there were various attempts to bring these products to market throughout the mid to late 20th century, vape pioneers never quite got the product right, though they did contribute the term ‘vape’ to our vocabulary.
Fast-forward to the 1990s and major advances in vaping technology began to take place. Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik is credited with producing the first successful iteration of today’s generation of e-cigarettes, in 2003. After undergoing regulatory approval, the first e-cigarettes were introduced to Europe in April 2006, and August of that year for the U.S.
How did vaping start?
The driving force behind the rise in vaping is the desire for a cleaner, altogether less intrusive alternative to cigarette smoking. As the negative health implications of smoking became apparent to people during the 50s and 60s, not to mention the ever-presence of stinky cigarette smoke at the time, inventors began to turn their mind to potential alternatives.
Who invented vaping?
The concept of the vape can be attributed to a patent filed by Joseph Robinson in 1927, later granted in 1930. Though as this device was never brought to commercial market, we cannot say for definite how far Robinson got with building a working prototype.
When was the e-cigarette invented?
Joseph Robinson’s 1927 design is our earliest evidence of the e-cigarette. However, Herbert A. Gilbert is generally credited with the creation of the first modern e-cigarette device, having created working prototypes after filing a patent in 1963. Though the product still didn’t take off at the time.
*This product is not risk-free and contains nicotine, an addictive substance. Comparison of smoke from a scientific standard reference cigarette (approximately 9 mg tar) and emissions from Vuse ePod, ePod 2 and ePen, in terms of the average of the 9 harmful components the World Health Organisation recommends to reduce in cigarette smoke.
Sources:
https://casaa.org/education/vaping/historical-timeline-of-electronic-cigarettes/
