America's tobacco companies spend billions of dollars each year to advertise their products. They've done so for generations, from doctor and dentist testimonials in the early and middle parts of the 20th century through icons like the Marlboro Man and Joe Camel in later decades. But after the landmark 1964 Surgeon General's report demonstrated a link between smoking and cancer, the government began placing restrictions on tobacco advertising. The most transformative restriction, the Master Settlement Agreement -- which in many ways put an end to tobacco advertising -- went into effect 24 years ago this month, on November 23, 1998.
HISTORY’s Moment in Media: How Tobacco Advertising Changed Forever
