History of Feminism

What's been lost is the casualness of smoking in that era.

As I recall, official statistics are that in 1955, two thirds of all adult men, and half of all adult women smoked. However, hardly anyone over the age of 65 or so smoked, so in reality about 80 percent of men and 70 percent of women (ages 21-60 is what I'm guessing) smoked. The grandparents of that era didn't smoke much, so the smoking was concentrated in a somewhat younger age group.

It was everywhere. In hospitals, grocery stores, out on the streets. In a way it's amazing that high school teachers weren't smoking in the classroom. So different from today, when smoking is furtive, and as portrayed by Hollywood, an act of defiance against the oppressive anti-smoking forces.

Don't get me wrong. I never smoked. I think it's terrible in many ways, but since I'm as old as I am (66) I do remember how different it used to be.