A man named Herbert Gilbert officially patented a "smokeless, non-tobacco cigarette" way back in 1965. He envisioned his design as a device that simulated smoking a cigarette. Unfortunately for Gilbert, he never commercially pursued marketing the e-cigarette, so not a lot happened until 2003.
Who knows what might have happened if Herbert Gilbert had pursued his dream of a simulated cigarette? Surely, the evolving landscape of vaping would be vastly different.
In 2003, Hon Lik, a pharmacist from Beijing, invented a modern electronic cigarette device after his father died of lung cancer. He created the e-cigarette and has since been widely admired by all vapers as the one who made it all possible.
In 2004, the first e-cigarette was created. The original device was instead based on atomization, which vaporizes liquids through the heating produced by the electricity of the battery, rather than the battery-powered heating element that most vape devices use today.
Hon Lik sees the e-cig as a "digital camera taking over from the analogue camera." He is now allegedly working on an e-hookah.
By 2006, the devices were available outside of China. Vaping hit the western world in a big way. In the last decade, many different types of devices have been created, from slimline, small devices like the V-Pack II to box mods like the Vibe.
From this, many subcultures have developed, communities have formed and the market has been revolutionised.
