A dark patch was left intentionally on the ceiling of Grand Central Station’s main concourse to show how dirty it was before and after it’s first cleaning. The patch was swabbed and tested revealing the dirty ceiling was about 100 years of built up nicotine from cigarette smoke.
smoking
The “lucky cigarette” tradition…
The “lucky cigarette” tradition of flipping a cigarette upside-down and saving it until the end of the pack originated from the myth that 1 cigarette in every Lucky Strike pack contained marijuana.
In 1999, Philip Morris attempted…
In 1999, Philip Morris attempted to convince the government of the Czech Republic that smoking was highly beneficial to the country, as more people would die earlier as a result, thus letting the government save millions on pensions, hospitals, and housing for elderly citizens.
Smoking Areas existed in Public…
Smoking Areas existed in Public High Schools back in the 1980’s. Students could smoke cigarettes on school grounds between classes in designated lounges.
Although Fidel Castro was always…
Although Fidel Castro was always pictured with cigars, he gave up smoking them in the 80’s and was quoted as saying: “The best thing you can do with a box of cigars give it to your enemy!”
American cigarette brands…
American cigarette brands add sugar in cigarettes to increase the appeal and addictive potential of smoking, which also ends up increasing toxicity and cancer risk.
A Japanese company has awarded…
A Japanese company has awarded its non-smoking employees 6 extra vacation days to compensate for the smoker’s smoke breaks.
Torches of Freedom
It used to be improper for women to smoke, but a single PR stunt changed all that. In 1929, women were hired to light up while marching in a parade, calling the cigarettes “Torches of Freedom.” So smoking became a symbol of equal rights, and sales skyrocketed.
The stunt was pulled by Edward Bernays (nephew of Sigmund Freud), who is known as the godfather of Public Relations (he even coined that term, because his original word ‘Propaganda’ was getting a bad rap)
Bernays is also credited with making bacon & eggs into breakfast foods, convincing the public that fluoridated tap water was safe, and helping the CIA/United Fruit Company get away with overthrowing the Guatemalan government (which was democratically-elected).
Smokers who quit before 40 were found to live…
Smokers who quit before 40 were found to live just as long as non-smokers. The average smoker who doesn’t stop will lose 10 years on their life. A smoker who stops between the age of 35 and 40 can regain 9 of those years. Older smokers gained back 6 of those years.
Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko…
Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko started smoking at the age of 9. He died after only 13 months in office, the third Soviet leader to die during Reagan’s presidency. When informed, Reagan remarked, “How am I supposed to get anyplace with the Russians if they keep dying on me?”