Credits
Overview: Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum, N. rustica)
Tobacco originated in the Americas, where its use is estimated to have begun around 6000 B.C. By the time of Columbus, tobacco was cultivated by Native Americans throughout the Americas and used for both ceremonies and medicine. Sailors on Columbus's first voyage were the first Europeans to use tobacco.
By the middle of the sixteenth century, adventures and diplomats (for example, Jean Nicot de Villemain, France's ambassador to Portugal, after whom nicotine was named) promoted its use (Tobacco Free Kids 2001).
Playing an important part, Virginia
Initially, tobacco was obtained by trading with Native Americans and was used for pipe smoking, chewing, and snuff. The first crop cultivated by nonnatives was in Virginia in 1612 (Tobacco Free Kids 2001).
Within seven years tobacco was Virginia's largest export. New, milder varieties of tobacco were found in Brazil and brought to the United States. Markets expanded and production expanded quickly to match it. Most tobacco was grown and harvested by slave labour.
For pipe smoking or snuff
Initially, tobacco was cured and cut for pipe smoking or ground into powder and used as snuff. Crude cigarettes have been around since the early seventeenth century. They became much more popular after the Civil War, however.
From 3 to 160,000 per minute
At first, cigarettes were hand-rolled at the rate of 3 per minute. In 1880 the first cigarette-making machine was invented. It produced 200 cigarettes a minute (Tobacco Free Kids 2001). Today the fastest machines can make 160,000 per minute.