Wonderful article - thank you for bringing this up. Since the title is "How did we survive back then?", I don't think it will be off-topic for me to comment on how many memories came flooding back to me of my childhood.
I remember riding in the backseat of my parent's car, and their smoke (yes, of course, they both smoked) ALWAYS drifted back there with me. I would beg my Mother to crack her window, and she would, just barely, because she didn't want the wind to mess up her "hairdo" (she's the one now with COPD, my father has quit). I remember them dragging me to their parties and having to endure hours of boring adult conversation and gagging on all the smoke. I mean, one of the first things I swallowed when I was a toddler was a cigarette butt which I was promptly forced to vomit.
And no, I had no idea how irritating smoke was until I became an ex-smoker. I wish I could apologize to all the people I made sick who were just trying to enjoy themselves at outdoor events.
Tracy
Two months, three weeks, one day, 22 hours. 1392 cigarettes not smoked.