Who Invented Vape Pens and Vaporizers?

A Short History of How Smoking Inspired the Modern Vape

To understand the history of vaping and where it came from, we first must look at how and why vaporizers first came about. For thousands of years, humans enjoyed the pleasures that came with smoking tobacco, cannabis, and other dried plants. It wasn’t until just recently, about 200 years ago, that doctors began to realize the hazards of smoking.

In 1798 a doctor by the name of Benjamin Rush first pointed out how smoking was “offensive” and correctly assumed that smoking could lead to “incurable diseases” and cancer. Since then, inventors have searched for ways to minimize the hazards of smoking by creating ways of heating up plant material without combustion.

The 1800s saw a significant rise in lip cancers among smokers. By the 1920s, there were over 1,000 cases of lung cancers that were directly attributed to smoking in the United States. It was during the era of the Roaring Twenties that witnessed innovation surrounding the concept of taking dried plant material and enclosing it with a heating pad to heat it up below the point of combustion.

The Birth of the First Vaporizer

In 1927, an inventor by the name of Joseph Robinson came up with the world’s first electric vaporizer. His idea was patented to create a device that would make it easier to inhale the essence of a plant without the need to burn it. It wouldn’t be until almost 80 years later that vaping would become one of the most popular methods of extracting plant essence without combustion.

Despite having created the world’s first vape that addressed the hazards associated with inhaling smoke, the world wouldn’t become concerned with the health effects of smoking until the late 50s and 60s. In 1963, another man by the name of Herbert Gilbert created the world’s first “smokeless cigarette,” much like what we have today in the form of vape pens.

Unfortunately, nobody was interested in making his idea come to life at the time. Sometime later, two men by the names of Phil Ray and Norman Jacobson created the first commercialized e-cigarette in 1979. Though the device did not utilize electricity, it worked by way of evaporation. These two men are credited for creating the term “vape” into the English language.

The Modern Vape

The turn of the new century brought about pioneers in the world of science and technology. Medical breakthroughs and a better understanding of the human body led to innovators in the field of medicine to create a blueprint for what we now have today. A Chinese pharmacist by the name of Hon Lik was the one to put vape pens on the map.

A smoker who was using 3 packs a day decided to create a safer method of consumption after his father died of lung cancer. He wanted to simulate the effects of smoke without the hazards of smoke. 2006 and beyond saw the mainstream circulation of vaping around Europe and finally made its way to America. By 2008, vaping was the new kid on the block, and everyone was intrigued by it.

Over a decade later, we now have vapes that span across the world from different manufacturers boasting an array of varying features and functionalities. Everything from box mods to disposable vape pens have graced the shelves of modern smoke shops thanks to the perseverance of a few men who decided that smoking was not the most efficient way to deliver medicinal compounds to the human body.

Smoking vs Vaping

While this concept has been previously discussed in depth, it cannot be denied that the whole reason we have vapes today is because there was an acknowledgement of the hazards of smoking long before it was widely accepted by society. People were slow to catch on and had an addiction to cigarettes that unfortunately cost the lives of millions of people.

Today we have so many brands and models on the market that it can be quite overwhelming to choose the right type of vape. Fortunately, with so many options come the freedom to truly tailor and customize the experience for virtually any type of user. Everyone from beginners to smokers and former smokers can utilize vape technology to enhance their wellbeing. In fact, vaping has replaced smoking on many fronts.

People are no longer confined to smoking or taking a patch or chewing those nasty tobacco products. Vaping has proven itself to be a valid and practical method of administering plant medicines to the human body in a safe and controlled manner. Many in the medical community have touted the health benefits that accompany vaping and have saved the lives of thousands, if not millions of people from the grips of smoking hazards.

The Future of Vaping

With brands like SteamCloud, Titan, G Pen, and KandyPens, vaping has taken the user to new heights. Unlike the vapes from the past that utilized primitive heating technologies with single heating sources and enclosed domes, today we have concepts such as convection and heating technology using portable batteries. Atomizers can be seamlessly swapped out and conveniently used in combination 3-in-1 vapes.

Desktop vapes have also come a long way. Brands like Puffco have made strides to introduce cutting-edge vaping technology that goes beyond old-school box models and brittle plastics. Durability and efficiency are what makes vapes like this popular, with more users now than ever before. Vaporizers have come to replace smoking, as most people nowadays would struggle to find someone who prefers to just smoke a cigarette.

While smoking is still a thing, it is no longer the only option. Investing in your health is perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself, and for those around you. It is only a matter of time before we see an upgrade into the realm of vaping as more innovators and collaborators come to the forefront of technology to introduce us to a whole new method of vaporization.

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