The History of Electronic Cigarettes

To most of the general public, it seems that electronic cigarettes came out of nowhere. Suddenly, the gadgets were everywhere. This is in part because the movement has been growing at an astonishing rate over the past few years, so much so that popular news organizations often quote it as being “the wild, wild west.” In a way, it is a new frontier for tech, in the same way that computers, cars or airplanes were at one point in time. And just as with computers, cars and planes, there is a reason to understand where e-cigs came from and where they may go. Although the path of electronic cigarettes is virtually impossible to predict, e-cigs’ past is surprisingly lengthy and entertaining.

Early Beginnings

There are at least two separate starting points that are often pointed to as the beginning of electronic cigarettes. The first begins with Herbert A. Gilbert, who patented a device in 1963 that was described as a “smokeless non-tobacco cigarette” that would replace “burning tobacco with heated, moist, flavored air.” The device heated a nicotine solution to produce steam but was never sold commercially. The basic properties of an electronic cigarette are little more than the vaporization of a potentially nicotine-based liquid that would mimic the sensation of smoking, so Gilbert is the recorded originator of the idea. His lack of commercialization of the product is part of the reason that electronic cigarettes are so widely varied today. It allowed for the market to be determined by the end user rather than whichever major tobacco company could have potentially purchased the patent to mass-market the idea.

Rebirth

In more recent years, a man by the name of HonLik rediscovered the idea, by coincidence and with no knowledge of Mr. Gilbert’s prior invention. HonLik was a Chinese pharmacist who was inspired by the idea after having struggled with tobacco addiction himself. In fact, in 2009, many of the first electronic cigarettes that were sold in the U.S. were from Ruyan, meaning “like smoke,” the company that Han Lik worked for. Before producing and selling electronic cigarettes, Ruyan was called Golden Dragon Holdings, but changed the name of the company due to the strength and viability of the product.

Recent Popularity& Economic Growth

Due to the growth of the market and the fierce loyalty of the customer base, many of the larger tobacco companies like Lorillard Inc. have gotten into the electronic cigarette game. As recently as 2008, 50,000 individuals used e-cigs in the U.S., but this number grew to 3.5 million in 2012 and only bloomed since then. Most of the users of electronic cigarettes are those who have smoked traditional cigarettes in the past.

Iterations

What started as a product invented by two separate men to mimic the experience of cigarette smoking has continued to evolve with market demand. There are now many different types of electronic cigarette produced to fit a customer’s specific needs. Whether a customer prefers menthol, tobacco or even fruit flavors, there are electronic cigarettes of all shapes and sizes that can either produce a unique experience or closely mimic that of cigarettes in their traditional form. Mr. Gilbert’s intentions with the product may never be known, but it’s unlikely that he was creating a smoking cessation tool like HonLik; in 1963, most smokers were unaware of the harmful effects of tobacco, which would only be conclusively shown later in the century. Now there is a dizzying cacophony of types and styles of electronic cigarette to suit the modern appetite, which are all a direct result of HonLik’s invention.

Electronic cigarettes have grown dramatically over the past half-decade alone and will likely continue to do so. This is a direct result of many cigarette smokers seeking a solution to their long term addiction to the nicotine in tobacco while trying to avoid the harmful tar and other substances. Previous smoking cessation tools, like nicotine gum or nicotine patches, left something to be desired as most consumers of these products aren’t able to satisfy the tangible aspects of smoking like exhaling a cloud, chatting over a cigarette, occupying their idle hands for a minute or the taste that accompanies the addiction. They hope that in electronic cigarettes there is some form of reprieve that can still provide satisfaction.