A smoking lounge inside a 1970s high school, reflecting an era when designated student smoking areas were still found in some schools across the United States. A smoking lounge in a 1970s high school was not considered unusual in many places; it was often an accepted part of school policy. In 1976, nearly 29% of U.S. high school seniors reported smoking cigarettes daily. Cigarette advertising remained common on television until it was banned in 1971, teachers often smoked in designated faculty areas, and some schools created student smoking lounges to prevent students from smoking in hallways. Although the health dangers were already known—the Surgeon General issued its first major warning about smoking in 1964—social attitudes changed much more slowly. Today, the contrast is dramatic. By 2023, daily cigarette smoking among high school students had fallen to below 1%, marking one of the most significant public health changes of the modern era. However, tobacco use did not disappear; it changed forms. As cigarette use declined, e-cigarette use surged among teenagers in the late 2010s, with youth vaping reaching its peak in 2019 before declining in more recent years. The 1970s were also a time when cigarette vending machines were common in places like restaurants, bowling alleys, and sometimes even schools. Smoking was permitted on airplanes, buses, and many other public spaces that would seem unimaginable today.(Historic Vids)