When I was a kid, nearly EVERY ADULT that I knew smoked.

My parents both smoked.

My mother's brothers, both physicians smoked. They both quit in the 1950s when Surgeon Generals Report was published.

My sister smoked and so did her husband.

Whenever I went anywhere, these exceptions, the place was filled with smoke, including: Restaurants, Passenger Aircraft, Public schools, Stores, Offices, Hospitals, Synagogues (except on sabbath). In New York City, smoking was legal in theaters and on public transportation.

It was impossible to see from one end of the 10th floor corridor of my mother's office building to the other. Israel Bonds and Columbus Torah Academy annual meetings were filled to the brim with smoke.

A few exceptions were: Movie theaters (in Ohio), Department stores, Ohio State University, Public libraries.

Hospitals not only permitted smoking nearly everywhere that oxygen was not in use, but had cigarette machines in their lobbies and hallways. Nurses provided patients with cigarettes routinely. Physicians smoked in their offices and patient rooms in hospitals.

Smoking did not decline appreciably until the late 1970s. It was not until 1990 that smoking was banned on passenger aircraft. It was not until 1997 that Executive Order banned smoking in all Executive Branch federal buildings.

Then, finally, in the 2000s, there was rapid adoption of statewide bans. Public smoking is still legal in most nations.