Have you ever wondered when vaping began? While traditional smoking has been around for a while, vaping is often thought of as a relatively recent innovation. Some sources say that the concept of vaping has been around since the 1920s, meaning the idea is almost 100 years old!

In 1927, the first electric vaporizer was invented, a device which “electrically or otherwise heated to produce vapors”. From that point forward, different forms of vaping devices slowly began emerging over the years, and here we are today: with vaping as a popular smoke-free alternative that is used by adult users all over the world.

Here is a little more on vape history.

What is vaping?

Today, vaping is the act of using a vape, also known as an e-cigarette. Vapes are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid, also known as e-liquid, which may contain nicotine. When the e-liquid is in contact with the vape’s heat source, it starts to vaporize and creates an aerosol, which is inhaled. As no smoke is created, vapes are classed as a smoke-free alternative to cigarettes.

Vapes come in all shapes and sizes and are known for having many different product options to choose from. Some e-cigarettes are completely disposable, while others can be reused. Some look like cigarettes (called cig-a-likes), and others may resemble cigars or pens. There are also countless e-liquid flavours to choose from, and some e-liquids have varying nicotine levels.

When was vaping invented, and who invented the first e-cigarette?

From the most primitive models to what we recognize as a vape today, the history of vapes spans almost a century.

How did we get the word ‘vape’?

Vaping as we know it today started to become more crystallized as a concept and accessible product in the 1980s. This is when the terms “vape” and “vaping” came to life. Scientists started working on a “smokeless cigarette”. Their product would not require combustion, and it differed from some other inventions thus far as it also aimed to deliver a dose of nicotine. The product also looked like a cigarette in terms of shape, colour and design. Inside the device was a filter paper which was soaked in nicotine, and once inhaled, nicotine was delivered without combustion or smoke.

During trial studies scientists did not want his participants to be referred to as “smokers” who were “smoking”, and thus contributed the terms “vape” and “vaping” to the vocabulary that we use today.

How did we get the modern e-cigarette?

In the early 2000s, the modern and most commercially successful e-cigarette was finally born. First iterations were big and bulky, believing that the product must be more convenient for every day, on-the-go use to achieve mainstream acceptance and encourage switching from cigarettes.

Finally a smaller, refined device that used a high frequency ultrasound-emitting element in combination with a coiled heating wire to vaporize a nicotine-containing liquid. This was patented in 2003, and in 2004, e-cigarettes with a battery-powered heating element that vaporized e-liquid hit the Chinese market. By 2005, e-cigarettes started being sold internationally.

Today, e-cigarettes are smoke-free alternatives to continued smoking that provide a nicotine containing aerosol without combustion although not risk free.

New vaping technology - how are e-cigarettes different today?

Today, companies continue to invest in developing a wider variety of improved smoke-free technologies. For example, VEEV offers a unique smoke-free alternative for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke. Learn more about VEEV!

This article is for general information and educational purposes. Some of the information in this article is based on external, third-party sources and we make no representations or warranties of any kind regarding the accuracy, validity or completeness of such information.