20th Century Artifacts

Cigarette Dates

(For additional dates and history, see the Cigarette History compiled by Michael Pfeiffer)

1850’s: Widespread use during the Crimean War (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1853: First manufactured in Havana (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1853-1900: Cigarettes handmade (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1860’s - 1880’s: Patents for machines to make cigarettes. Not used widely until 1880’s (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1920: Cigarette consumption equaled cigars (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1938: Half of all tobacco consumption was in cigarette form (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

Ca. 1942: Deletion of green coloring behind Lucky Strike bulls-eye (Sacharow 1978: 20).

1950: Three-fourths of all tobacco consumption was in cigarettes (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1952: 1.4% of all cigarettes had filters (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1960: 80% of all tobacco consumption was in cigarettes (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1964: Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee found link between cigarettes and lung cancer (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1966: Surgeon General’s warning appears on tobacco products (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (22): 46-47).

1969: Introduction of the disposable cigarette lighter (Pfeiffer 2002).

1970: 33% of all cigarettes had filters (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (5): 767-768).

1971: Health warning appears on all tobacco products (Encyclopedia Britannica 1973 (22): 46-47).