Cigarettes do not have a single creator; they evolved over time from indigenous tobacco use in the Americas to a modern mass‑produced product developed in the 19th century. The key step toward modern cigarettes was the invention of industrial rolling machines in the late 1800s.
Early origins
Tobacco smoking began with Indigenous peoples in the Americas, such as the Maya and later the Aztecs, who smoked tobacco in various forms, including early reed-like cigarettes, many centuries before Europeans arrived. Spanish and other European explorers then carried tobacco and smoking habits back to Europe in the 16th century, where different forms like cigars, pipes, and eventually cigarettes developed.
From hand‑rolled to factory‑made
By the 19th century, hand‑rolled cigarettes were being produced commercially in places like London and the United States, but they were still relatively small-scale and labor‑intensive. Early cigarette factories and brands emerged in Europe and America, laying the groundwork for a dedicated cigarette industry.
Invention of cigarette machines
Juan Nepomuceno Adorno patented an early cigarette‑making machine in Mexico in 1847, marking one of the first attempts to mechanize production. Mass production truly accelerated after James Albert Bonsack patented his cigarette rolling machine in 1880–1881, which could make hundreds of cigarettes per minute and became the basis of modern cigarette manufacture.
Role of tobacco companies
American industrialist James Buchanan Duke licensed Bonsack’s machine in the 1880s and used it to dominate the U.S. cigarette market through the American Tobacco Company. Large firms like Duke’s, and later companies such as Philip Morris, then refined marketing and distribution, turning cigarettes into a global, mass‑market consumer product rather than a small, hand‑made item.
Summary of key figures
Aspect| Key people/entities| Their role in cigarettes’ development
---|---|---
Indigenous origins| Maya, Aztecs, other Native Americans| Used early
cigarette-like forms of smoked tobacco in rituals.36
Early machine patent| Juan Nepomuceno Adorno| Patented one of the first
cigarette-making machines in 1847.3
Modern machine inventor| James Albert Bonsack| Invented the high-speed
cigarette rolling machine (1880–1881).24
Industrial expansion| James Buchanan Duke, American Tobacco Co.| Adopted
Bonsack’s machine and built large-scale cigarette industry.84