History is full of famous cigar smokers. The irresistible pleasures of cigar smoking have been enjoyed by celebrities, explorers, world leaders and regular people across the globe. From Sir Winston Churchill, to Groucho Marx, to Rush Limbaugh, the smoldering aroma of cigar smoke permeates the pages of history.
The earliest beginnings of cigar smoking can be traced to the Yucatan, where Mayans rolled leaves of tobacco and called the act of smoking "sikar." The first European smokers are said to be crewmembers from Christopher Columbus' 1492 exploratory voyage. When the crew returned to Europe, the habit of cigar smoking began to spread to the worldwide population.
Any list of famous historical cigar smokers would have to include U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant. He was rarely seen without a stogy clenched firmly in his lips, and he smoked up to 12 cigars a day on average. Grant's heavy cigar smoking eventually led to death from oral cancer, and he is not the only cigar-smoking celebrity who succumbed to that fate.
Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud reportedly consumed an astonishing 20 cigars per day. Cigar smoking caused Freud to suffer a long and lingering illness and death, but he was never able to quit the tobacco habit. If modern electronic cigarettes (like this) had been available, perhaps Freud might have lived longer and provided more insight to the field of psychoanalysis.
Some modern cigar smokers make the habit seem glamorous. Movie stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Mickey Rourke are often seen puffing on cigars. Even some women celebrities are known to take a puff or two, including Drew Barrymore, Sharon Stone, Demi Moore and Dita von Teese.
Cigar smoking comedians are also a common sight. Pioneer TV celebrity George Burns punctuated his wry sense of humor with cigar smoke, and he never stopped puffing stogies until his death at age 100. Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Ernie Kovacs, Ron White, Bill Cosby and many more comedians have taken pleasure in smoking cigars.
Last century, cigars were often smoked in movies, news stories and everyday life. It was a statement of social status, and it didn't matter that smoking was unhealthy. Today, cigar smoking is banned in most public areas, and those who smoke openly can be ticketed or even arrested. Some famous cigar smokers just can't resist lighting up, though, and their reputations are surrounded with the smoky haze of audacity.
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