Who invented the electronic cigarette?

L'inventeur de la cigarette électronique
If the electronic cigarette is now a vaping tool that we see on a daily basis and in the mouths of thousands of consumers around the world, they owe this to two people: Hon Lik and Herbert A. Gilbert. We'll tell you why!

 

Who invented the electronic cigarette?

The first inventor or even thinker of the electronic cigarette is Hon Lik, former Chinese engineer and pharmacist. 

He is indeed considered the father of this object by a large number of enthusiasts, but still raises a question: is this really the case? 

Others claim it was Herbert A. Gilbert. Let's find out more about this invention and find out who invented the electronic cigarette.

Although Herbert A. Gilbert had the idea of registering a patent in the state of Pennsylvania in 1963 under the name of "smokeless cigarette that does not contain tobacco", but did not market it. 

Only then 40 years later that Hon Lik takes up the torch and registers a patent for a "smokeless cigarette capable of replacing tobacco". 

At the time of its release wins American and European markets a huge success.

So who invented the electronic cigarette? Who invented the electronic cigarette?

 

HERBERT A GILBERT et son brevet de cigarette électronique

 

Did Hon Lik invent the electronic cigarette?

 

The idea of the electronic cigarette was born in Hon Lik's mind when he was desperate to quit smoking. quit smoking. To fight his addiction, he analyzes his reactions to tobacco consumption and notes the times when the peaks of tobacco consumption occur. nicotine are the most frequent. So he decided to look for an alternative that would give him back the effects of nicotine. without smoking.

If he is considered the inventor of the electronic cigaretteit is because the latter is the one who brought it to market in 2005. In France today, it is estimated that over 12 million people are now enthusiasts.

Today, more than just an accessory, the electronic cigarette is considered to be one of the first solutions for smoking cessation. long-lasting, effective smoking cessation. 

 

1963: what about Herbert A. Gilbert's project?

 

We now know: Hon Lik is the man responsible for bringing the electronic cigarette to market. But what of the studies conducted by Herbert A. Gilbert and his discoveries? Let's not forget that, in 1963, this American had filed a patent for a vaporizer of liquid with nicotine !

The principle is simple and we know it well: replace the classic cigarette with tobacco with a liquid which does not contain any...

His idea didn't come from nowhere. It emerged at a time when Herbert A. Gilbert decided to putting an end to cigarette toxicity. It then proposes an object represented as a long thin tube at the end of which we can find a mouthpiece... Does this remind you of anything?

But that's not all! On the patent filed by the latter, surely the man who invented the electronic cigarette, it is mentioned that the object in question is intended to replace "tobacco and paper with heated, flavored air".

A number of manufacturers approached Herbert A. Gilbert, wanting to bring your project to life. So why was it never marketed?

Let's not forget that the '60s saw heavy smoking and that, paradoxically, the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries saw nothing good in this project... It then suffered numerous reprisals and denigration which prevented it from coming to fruition.

Today, 87-year-old Herbert A. Gilbert continues to claim that his invention has been a victim of all its industries. Hon Lik was luckier on his side of the globe... 

 

Who do you think invented the electronic cigarette?

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