January 11, 1964

On January 11, 1964, the Surgeon General of the United States issued an official statement that immediately made top headlines in the United States and around the world. It was the first time someone officially said that smoking could cause cancer. What else was sharing headlines with such a controversial topic that day? You'll find out with three great additional history stories.

SOURCES

• “Advertisement: Singer Sewing Center (Pg 7).” The Bismarck Tribune (Bismarck, North Dakota), January 11, 1964. www.newspapers.com.
•  “Arsenic Probe Continues; 8 Survivors Improved.” The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), November 26, 1956. www.newspapers.com.
•  Associated Press. “Food Poisoning Fatal to 2 Tots.” The Cumberland News (Cumberland, Maryland), November 16, 1956. www.newspapers.com.
•  Associated Press. “Life Term For Killing Cop.” The Daily Times (Davenport, Iowa), January 11, 1964. www.newspapers.com.
• Baldwin, Nick. “Grinnell Officer Slain.” The Des Moines Tribune (Des Moines, Iowa), November 13, 1963. www.newspapers.com.
•  Barewald, Robert, and Walter Shotwell. “Boys’ Past: Delinquency, Thefts, Trouble in School.” The DesMoines Register (Des Moines, Iowa), 1958. www.newspapers.com.
•  Brannon, William T. “The Case of the Mass Poisoner.” Eureka Humboldt Standard (Eureka, California), January 11, 1964. www.newspapers.com.
•  “Cause Giving For Illness Of Father.” The Morning Herald (Hagerstown, Maryland), November 20, 1956. www.newspapers.com.
•  “Cop Kills Student in Basement Duel with Knife & Gun.” Daily News (New York City, New York), January 11, 1964. www.newspapers.com.
•  “Current Cigarette Smoking among Adults in the United States.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 4, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm.
•  “Current Trends Smoking and Health: A National Status Report.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed August 13, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000823.htm#:~:text=Only%2030%25%20of%20all%20persons,report%20in%201964%20(2). “Gary Lee Wessling (1940-1973) .” Find a Grave. Accessed August 19, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/250100737/gary-lee-wessling.  
• “Girls Checked in Poison Case.” The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), December 4, 1956.
• “Health Men Visit Home.” The Morning Herald (Hagerstown, Maryland), November 21, 1956. www.newspapers.com. 
• Lamberto, Nick. “Hunt Killers’ Dope Source.” The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa), February 27, 1958. www.newspapers.com. 
• Mills, George. “Gunman Parole a ‘Mistake.’” The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa), November 14, 1963. www.newspapers.com.
• “Nine Kidwell Children Have Pneumonia.” The Morning Herald (Hagerstown, Maryland), November 15, 1956. www.newspapers.com.
•  “The Panama Riots of 1964: The Beginning of the End for the Canal.” Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Accessed August 13, 2024. https://adst.org/2016/07/panama-riots-1964-beginning-end-canal/.
• “Surgeon General’s 1964 Report: Making Smoking History.” Harvard Health, January 10, 2014. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/surgeon-generals-1964-report-making-smoking-history-201401106970#:~:text=On%20a%20Saturday%20morning%2050,should%20do%20something%20about%20it.
• United Press International. “Mystery Illness Fells Father, Two Children.” The Weirton Daily Times (Weirton, West Virginia), November 23, 1956. www.newspapers.com.
• United Press International. “Wessling Gets 30 Year Term; Craig Guilty.” The Courier (Waterloo, Iowa), June 5, 1958. www.newspapers.com.
• United Press International. “‘Cigaret [Sic] Smoking Causes Cancer’ [and Other Front Page Headlines].” El Paso Herald-Post, January 11, 1964. www.newspapers.com. 
• SOUND SOURCES
• Al Jolson. “I’ll Say She Does.” www.pixabay.com/music.
• Lucille Hegamin and The Dixie Daisies. “Cold Winter Blues.” www.pixabay.com/music.
• Sophie Tucker. “Reuben Rag.” www.pixabay.com/music.