31 Of The Most Bizarre Trends Of The 50s And 60s

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Smoking on board an airplane

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Yes, ladies and gents, there was a time when it was perfectly acceptable to light up a cigarette on board an aircraft; in fact, it was the norm. It was common for people in the 1960s, especially, to spark up a smoke (possibly even the “funnier” kinds) while on a flight, often leaving the cabin almost as cloudy as the skies outside. The ill-effects of cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke were mostly a non-issue, back then. It was only in the 1970s that smoking on a flight went through its first wave of regulatory action, with airlines being required to offer their passengers a choice between smoking or non-smoking seats. It would be over two decades before those regulations were tightened, thanks, in part, to the efforts of the Association of Flight Attendants—and their gripe was not so much for the obvious health reasons. Flight attendants complained about how long it took them to remove the smell of cigarettes from their uniforms; and, in February 1988, smoking on domestic flights less than two hours long was banned in the USA. In 1990, in-flight smoking on domestic US flights less than six hours long was banned, as well. However, pilots were still allowed to smoke in the cockpit, over concerns that nicotine withdrawals would affect their performance. Believe it or not, it was only in the year 2000 that smoking on board an aircraft was entirely banned on all domestic and international flights. Think in-flight smoking was a bad idea? Wait ‘til you read the next slide.