Cigarettes, now notorious for staining your teeth, making you smell like an overflowing ashtray and dramatically increasing your cancer options, were first sold by a man called Washington Duke, who peddled pre-rolled cigarettes to Civil War soldiers from his farm in North Carolina in 1865. In the first half of the 20th century, cigarettes were seen as a cure for asthma, were often endorsed by doctors for respiratory complaints, and were promoted by the great celebs of the time, including film stars John Wayne and Betty Grable – who both died of lung cancer, BTW – and cartoon character Fred Flintstone. Science finally delivered the inevitable throat punch in 1965 when the proven link between cigarettes and lung cancer meant the tobacco industry was legally bound to include a health warning. Washington Duke’s success as a tobacconist, however, did lead to the creation of Duke University in the US. So that’s something, at least. ■
