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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Home » Vaped » Health & Lifestyle » The History of Vaping
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Avatar for Jonny Eccles

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The History of Vaping

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Health & Lifestyle

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                - Jonny Eccles - 3rd June 2015

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2 min read

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                hand out of water

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                In this article...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                • Who did invent the e-cigarette?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Who did invent the e-cigarette?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Mention the history of vaping and most people will tell you that Hon Lik invented the e-cigarette. But did you know there were quite a few inventors of the e-cigarette before him?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The first man said to have invented the e-cigarette is a gentleman called Herbert A Gilbert. It was back in 1963 that he filed a patent for his e-cigarette but, according to reports, his attempt to get backing for his e-cigarette failed because in the 1960's everyone smoked, and no one really understood the harm it was doing.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The next man to invent the e-cigarette was a gentleman called J Phillip Ray.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                He filed his patent in 1980. This time the device didn't take off, allegedly because the tobacco industry was busy suppressing any alternatives to smoking, including Mr Ray's e-cig.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                So it was Hon Lik's patent, filed in 2003, that was the one that succeeded. Hon Lik is a chemist and medical researcher who ironically now works for Imperial Tobacco. Fed up with his own 20 a day habit and the fact that his father was dying of lung cancer, Hon Lik set about inventing a less harmful cigarette. The story is that the idea came to him in a dream, where he was dying via drowning, his lungs were filling with water, and suddenly the water turned into a harmless vapour, and hence the idea for the e-cig.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                By 2006 electronic cigarettes had made their way from China to the USA and Europe, and by 2008, we had the start of what is now the e-cigarette industry.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The e-cigarette industry has evolved into a $6 billion dollar global phenomenon, the power house still being China, but many manufacturers are now designing and creating their own devices in house, like Totally Wicked with our bespoke UK produced e-liquids and the UK designed and manufactured e-cigarettes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                It seems that Hon Lik, the inventor of the modern day e-cigarette, was in the right place, at the right time, and the world was eventually ready for his idea.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                This was a look at the history of vaping. What are your thoughts? Drop us a comment below.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Avatar for Jonny Eccles

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Jonny Eccles - Marketing Executive

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Jonny is passionate about the vaping industry and is all about the details. He’s the King of Reviews, making sure you know all the pros and cons of any newly released vaping products. Jonny is the go-to guy for knowing which vape is best for which type of vaper. His in-depth articles and videos make sure you have all the relevant information you need to help make an informed decision before purchasing a product – whether that’s the latest vape kit, the best e-liquid flavours, or the best disposables.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Visit Jonny's full author profile to find out more.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Totally Wicked Support - We're here to help!

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