Tobacco

5 Pages 1292 Words

In the year 1492, as every good schooling going American knows, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. What everyone doesn’t know, however, is that his lesser known shipmate, Rodrigo de Jerez, brought back to Europe the first Tobacco leaves to be seen on the continent.(Facts,1) Seen puffing the dried leaves, A horrified Spanish Inquisition Imprisoned him for life on charges of being possessed by the devil.(Facts, 1) Strangely enough, that is exactly how the 400 years of dominant industrial tobacco abuse started, and it took it off faster than any other addictive substance ever.(Facts,2)
The Cigarette itself, as before then, smoking was done in pipes and contraptions of that sort, was brought to the popular culture of Europe single-handedly by a man named Jean Nicot.(Facts,2) Nicots name was later borrowed by esteemed 19th-century scientists To name both the Plant, Nicotiana, and the active chemical, Nicotine.(Facts,1) More than ever before, tobacco gained popularity all over the world, after the European craze and prologue to the 19th century. The strange thing is, There is not one document of evidence to prove people were enjoying smoking through this era, yet there are countless amounts of documented quotes of people despising the “smelly weed.”(Facts,3)
Although doctors, public authorities, Celebrities and role models alike have condemned the likes of tobacco in the body since its first discovery, the real cold hard facts did not show until the early 20th century.(Facts,4) In fact, until 1930, there was absolutely no conclusive data on the connection of Tobacco smoke and lung cancer.(Facts, 3)
Jumping ahead a bit, Acclaimed writer of the 20th century Fletcher Knebel once commented “Smoking is not only the leading cause of premature death, it’s the leading cause of statistics.” Shockingly put, yet right in every disturbing sense, there are now 70,000 plus articles in print to prove how right he really is.
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