What is vaping and how did it get started? As you’ll find out in this article, ALL about the history of vaping and how it went on to become a multi-billion dollar business…
You may have seen people using them in public and wondered, “What are those things?” or “Where did they come from?” Well, today we’ll be discussing the history of vaping and how it has evolved over time.
But what you need to know is that vaping – as an actual thing – was invented by two men over the course of several decades. And those men are called Herbert Gilbert and Hon Lik.
The first electronic cigarette was invented in 1963 by Herbert Gilbert, but it wasn’t until 2003 that Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik created a commercial version that would start the vaping revolution.
Who is Hon Lik?
Hon Lik is a Chinese pharmacist and inventor who is credited with the invention of the modern e-cigarette. He created the first e-cigarette in 2003, and his company, Ruyan, later commercialised it in 2004.
Lik’s invention was motivated by his father’s death from lung cancer, which he believed could have been prevented if his father had not smoked cigarettes.
Who is Hubert Gilbert?
Gilbert was born in France in 1963. He moved to Canada with his family when he was just a child. Growing up, Gilbert was always interested in electronics and tinkering with gadgets.
He even built his own computer from scratch when he was just 16 years old. After high school, Gilbert attended McGill University, where he studied electrical engineering.
After graduation, Gilbert went to work for Bell Canada, one of the country’s leading telecommunications companies. He worked for Bell for 12 years, during which time he started dabbling in photography and invented an early version of the inkjet printer.
In 1999, Gilbert left Bell to start his own company specialising in wireless technology. It was around this time that he started experimenting with e-cigarettes.
Gilbert’s first e-cigarette was little more than a homemade contraption made out of spare parts. But it worked, and it sparked an idea in Gilbert’s mind that would change his life forever.
He realized that there was a market for alternative nicotine delivery systems, and he set out to create a commercial e-cigarette that could be mass-produced and sold to smokers looking for a way to quit.
In 2003, Gilbert received a patent for his invention, which he called the “Smokeless Inhaling Apparatus.” The following year, he founded R&D International Inc., a company dedicated to manufacturing and selling e-cigarettes.
R&D International was later renamed NJOY, and today it is one of the leading e-cigarette companies in the world. Thanks to Hubert Gilbert’s vision and perseverance, millions of smokers have been able to achieve their goal of quitting cigarettes for good.
How It Works
E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid to generate a vapor which is then inhaled by the user. This liquid usually contains nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings, and other chemicals.
While there are some similarities between cigarettes and e-cigarettes, there are also some important differences. For one, e-cigarettes don’t produce tobacco smoke, so users aren’t exposed to the more than 7000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke.
Another difference is that e-cigarettes can be used to deliver nicotine without also delivering harmful tar and other chemicals found in combusted tobacco products.
However, e-cigarettes still pose some risks to users’ health. For example, the liquids used in e-cigarettes often contain high levels of nicotine, which can be addictive and harmful, especially to developing brains.
In addition, some of the other chemicals used in these liquids — such as propylene glycol and glycerin — can also be harmful when inhaled.
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The Benefits of Vaping
- No tobacco: E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, which is responsible for many of the harmful health effects of smoking cigarettes.
- No combustion: There is no combustion involved in vaping, which means that there are no harmful byproducts generated by vaping.
- Lower risk of cancer: Some studies have shown that vaping is associated with a lower risk of developing cancer than smoking cigarettes.
- Reduced exposure to secondhand smoke: Secondhand smoke is harmful to both smokers and nonsmokers. Vaping reduces exposure to secondhand smoke because there is no smoke generated by e-cigarettes.
- Can help people quit smoking: Some people use e-cigarettes as a tool to help them quit smoking cigarettes altogether. While more research is needed on this topic, some studies have shown that e-cigarettes can be effective for helping people quit smoking.
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The Evolution of Vaping
Vaping has become increasingly popular in recent years as an alternative to smoking cigarettes. Thanks to its perceived health benefits and social acceptability, vaping has attracted millions of users worldwide.
This trend is reflected in sales figures, which show that the global e-cigarette market is growing rapidly and is expected to be worth billions of dollars within the next few years.
Since Hon Lik invented the first commercial e-cigarette in 2003, vaping has come a long way. Today’s devices are much more advanced than those early iterations, with many different types on the market to suit every need.
For example, cigalikes resemble traditional cigarettes and are easy to use but don’t offer much in terms of customization or satisfaction. On the other side of the spectrum are Mods — powerful devices that allow users to customize both the functions and performance of their device.
In between these two extremes are Vape Pens and Pod Mods — devices that strike a balance between simplicity and performance.
Additional Resources:
- Vape Mods: A Beginner’s Guide
- Pod Vapes: A Complete Beginner’s Guide
- Disposable Vapes: The Ultimate “Getting Started” Guide
No matter what type of device you choose, though, you’ll need e-liquid to make it work. E-liquids come in all sorts of flavors—from traditional tobacco and menthol to more exotic options like coffee and cake—so you’re sure to find one that you enjoy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, vaping is a relatively new phenomenon with a brief but fascinating history. What started as a way to help people quit smoking has become its own industry with a wide variety of devices and flavors to choose from. And the market is now worth tens of billions of dollars.
According to Statista, as of 2018, there were 41 million smokers in the United States. This number has been on the decline in recent years, thanks in large part to the increasing popularity of vaping.
In fact, between 2015 and 2018, the number of adult smokers in the U.S. decreased by 3 million. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years.
The rise in popularity of vaping can also be seen in sales figures. In 2017, global sales of e-cigarettes reached $11.3 billion.
This number is expected to rise to $47.11 billion by 2025. In the United States alone, sales of e-cigarettes are projected to reach $5.5 billion by 2025.
Clearly, vaping is big business and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
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