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Landmark Events 13 rights to tobacco companies as well as pharmaceutical firms. The concept attracted little interest, however, and he never found a company willing to mass-produce the device for commercial sale. Gilbert remained con- vinced that the idea had merit, but he eventually gave up trying to market his invention. He figured that someone else would develop the product when his patent expired in 17 years. In reality, it took 40 years and many false starts before e-cigarettes finally gained worldwide popularity. While some inventors developed their vaping technologies independently, many others cited Gilbert’s 1965 patent as the inspiration for various elements of their designs. In the meantime, Gilbert retired and moved to Florida, where he observed the vaping phenomenon with great interest. Although he never made any money from what many consider to be the world’s first e-cigarette, Gilbert expressed pride that his invention helped people quit smoking cigarettes. “The only substantial thing I received was the satisfaction of saving mil- lions of lives,” he said (White 2018). Further Reading Baker, Phyllis. 2018. “The Debt Owed: A Brief History of Vaping Technology.” TechnoFAQ, March 30, 2018. https://technofaq.org/posts/2018/03/the -debt-owed-a-brief-history-of-vaping-technology/. Dunworth, James. 2012. “The History of the Electronic Cigarette: It Goes Back Further Than You Think. . . .” E-Cigarette Direct Ashtray Blog, May 3, 2012. https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2012/05/history -electronic-cigarette.html. Dunworth, James. 2013. “An Interview with the Inventor of the Electronic Ciga- rette, Herbert A. Gilbert.” E-Cigarette Direct Ashtray Blog, October 2, 2013. https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2013/10/interview -inventor-e-cigarette-herbert-a-gilbert.html. White, April. 2018. “Plans for the First E-Cigarette Went Up in Smoke 50 Years Ago.” Smithsonian, December 2018. https://www.smithsonianmag.com /innovation/plans-for-first-e-cigarette-went-up-in-smoke-50-years-ago -180970730/. The Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health (1964) Although researchers uncovered evidence of a link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer as early as the 1930s, few Americans under- stood or worried about the potential health risks. Many people consid- ered smoking hip, fashionable, and an expression of personal freedom. The big tobacco companies reinforced this view in advertisements