A lot of people have asked me about the history of snuff tobacco and wondered where this cult habit originated from. Many seem to think that taking snuff tobacco is a fairly new phenomenon that died out over the last century due to the increase in popularity of cigarettes. Snuff tobacco, however, has a rich and varied history since it was first discovered on Columbus' second voyage to the Americas.

Snuff taking has straddled all social classes from the aristocracy to the miner and spread to all corners of the world from Europe to China. Different snuff etiquettes and cultures have developed through the centuries and there have been a number of prominent snuff takers including the likes of Napolean and King Louis XIII.

You can read more about snuff through the ages by following the links below:

• Snuff in the 15th Century
• Snuff in the 16th Century
• Snuff in the 17th Century
• Snuff in the 18th Century
• Snuff in the 19th Century
• Snuff in the 20th Century
• Snuff in the 21st Century