The History of E-Cigarettes: An Introduction

The world of e-cigarettes and vaping has changed dramatically over the past few years. It’s almost impossible to walk through any major city without seeing someone vaping. Today, there are all kinds of e-cigarettes, mods, and accessories on the market.

You might be surprised to learn that the first e-cigarettes hit the market more than three decades ago. Continue reading below to learn the complete history of e-cigarettes.

When did e-cigarettes begin?

It wasn’t until a Chinese pharmacist was looking for an alternative to smoking that the e-cigarette as we know it today came into being. Most commonly, Hon Lik is credited with creating the first modern vape kit that used a small battery and chip kit to produce vapor. However, researchers at Philip Morris also argue that other precursors introduced the modern e-cigarette as early as the 1960s .

Regardless, a few years later, Hon’s e-cigarette kits became the most popular choice for people looking to quit smoking. He called his company Ruyan, which means “like smoke.”

Once Ruyan developed a satisfactory prototype, they began distributing their e-cigarette kits in Europe and the Middle East. Word soon spread that US-based companies Smoke Anywhere and Vuse began selling similar kits in the US.

American kits come with rechargeable batteries, refillable atomizers and many other features that make them popular. In 2007, the United States allowed e-cigarettes to be imported, which took the market to new heights.

When were e-cigarettes invented?

E-cigarettes have been around for thousands of years. The Egyptians used water vapor and thermal baths for beauty purposes , and evidence of these practices dates back to the time of Cleopatra. However, modern e-cigarette devices first appeared in the early 20th century.

The first filed and approved electronic cigarette patent prototype appeared in 1927. Inventor Joseph Robinson initially created an "electronic vaporizer " device to vaporize drugs. There was no intention to use tobacco until the first patented electronic cigarette was introduced in 1967.

Both devices have a similar setup. Each uses a heating device and a flavoring cartridge to produce vapor . These cartridges were an early introduction to the modern e-cigarette we know today .

While these inventions were revolutionary, they did not fare well with the public. The idea of e-cigarettes faded away until Hon Lik's kit in 2003.

Who made the first e-cigarette device?

Herbert A. Gilbert is credited with inventing the first "smokeless" electronic cigarette in 1963. His device did not contain any tobacco or nicotine, but instead used flavored liquids to create the vapor . The patent was granted in 1965, and Gilbert began working on a few other similar gadgets.

However, his e-cigarette did not gain any commercial benefits. Most people did not realize the harm of smoking until the late 1960s. It was not until decades later that people began to look for other alternatives to tobacco.

Public indifference wasn’t the only obstacle Gilbert faced. For his first device, he relied on battery power. Essentially, his ideas were a bit ahead of their time, considering that battery technology didn’t improve until the turn of the century.

A brief history of e-cigarettes

Over the past 80 years, electronic cigarette devices have advanced by leaps and bounds. Here’s an overview of the history of vaping:

1930s

Joseph Robinson invented the concept of the electronic cigarette in 1927 and it was approved in 1930. Unlike the products we know today, Robinson's invention was primarily intended for medical use. He wanted to create a device that could vaporize medicinal herbs.

The technology was pretty impressive and comprehensive for its time. There were a lot of smokers in the 1920s, but portable electronic devices were not common.

However, the invention was never made commercially available, but rather served as a starting point for future gadgets.

1960s

American inventor Herbert A. Gilbert created the first "non-tobacco" device similar to the modern e-cigarette we know today. Gilbert created the gadget around 1963 and received approval for a patent in 1965. None of his prototypes contained nicotine and were commercially successful.

Gilbert claimed that his device did not have any commercial success because big tobacco companies did not like the idea of smokeless smoking. There were also reports that companies wanted to wait until the patent expired before distributing Gilbert's device so that they could license and sell their own device.

That said, there is no evidence that his e-cigarette will be a commercial success. The idea is completely new to the public and will take time to adapt to the market.

1979

Computer engineer Phil Ray worked with his doctor, Norman Jacobson, to develop the first commercial e-cigarette in 1979. Writer Laurie Collier Hillstrom describes how men chose the word "vaping" over "smoking" because the mechanism does not involve combustion .

Their team did a lot of research into nicotine delivery methods to optimize their device for the market, and while they did create a minor stir among the public , their technology wasn’t seamless enough to be widely successful.

1990s

By the early 1990s, word had spread about electronic cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Many companies tried to create a device that would dominate the market and lead to a breakthrough in this new technology.

However, several of these companies tried the evaporation method used by Ray and Jacobson in the late 1970s.

No company could create a user-friendly product for the general market, no matter how many resources they spent on R&D. Some major tobacco companies tried to create an alternative to smoking and sought FDA approval. However, they were unable to obtain approval on the grounds that their product was a drug delivery service.

E-cigarette development plateaued for the rest of the 1990s. Several products launched and failed before gaining enough traction to become a global success.

2003

Vaping as we know it really began in 2003. It was here that Hon Lik's modern vape kit was launched and became an almost immediate worldwide success. His kit included the standard electronic battery, pod and atomizer that we all recognize.

He founded Ruyan, which began selling the kits around 2006 in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

2006-2008

From 2006 to 2008, e-cigarettes began to gain popularity in the United States and Europe. While still a new concept, the public was looking for alternative ways to smoke. However, the entry of e-cigarettes into these new markets did not come without any friction.

Several countries have suspended the import of e-cigarettes due to their high nicotine content. Turkey was one of the first countries to ban the import of e-cigarettes due to a general lack of information about their safety and potential side effects.

The World Health Organization (WHO) requires e-cigarette manufacturers not to make any claims on their labels that e-cigarettes are safe. However, a study by Public Health England stated that e-cigarettes are 95% safer than smoking.

The future of e-cigarettes

A study by Euromonitor International estimates that approximately 68 million people worldwide use e-cigarette products. In the early 2000s, the options for mods and e-cigarettes were limited. While there were many brands to choose from, the technology was extremely similar.

Today the situation is very different. You can get a plethora of high-tech variants of e-cigarettes, vape mods, and other devices online from almost anywhere in the world.

While smoking is slowly becoming less socially acceptable, the future of e-cigarettes seems to be quite bright. More and more people are becoming aware of the technology and all the features that e-cigarettes have to offer.

The popularity of e-cigarettes is likely to rise in the coming years, and many big players are entering the manufacturing game. There are now Silicon Valley giants, big tobacco companies, and several other large companies that are developing and releasing new devices every year.

Here are some trends to watch out for:

Final Thoughts

The history of e-cigarettes is undoubtedly filled with stories of trial and error. It took decades for inventors to create a commercially successful prototype. Now, e-cigarettes are taking the world by storm, and it doesn’t look like they’re slowing down anytime soon.

It’ll be interesting to see where the industry is headed in the future and what kind of devices you can expect to see.