10 Deadly Things People Used To Think Were Harmless

By Peter Austin / February 5, 2016

4. Smoking

Cigarettes are bad for you, so listen to your mother.

We all know that they cause cosmetic damage, heart problems and issues with your oral health and that, in the end, they€™ll probably wind up giving you cancer. Unfortunately for pre-1950s children though, mothers across the globe were as convinced as everyone else that a ciggy a day kept the doctor away.

Ad campaigns that were actually endorsed by qualified physicians insisted that cigarettes made you skinny, helped you sleep and sobered you up if, for example, you€™d drunk too much of your baby€™s teething brandy.