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• The American Cancer Society first sponsored the "Great American Smokeout" in 1977. On the third Thursday in November of each year, the Great American Smokeout encourages people to quit smoking, even if it is for just one day. The 33rd annual Great American Smokeout was held on November 20, 2008.

• Fast Facts

  1. Held on the third Thursday of November each year
  2. 2008 Great American Smokeout: Thursday, November 20th
  3. Challenge: Quit smoking for 24 hours
  4. The Great American Smokeout began in Massachusetts in 1971 when a high school guidance counselor asked people to give up cigarettes for a dayCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The First Day of a Tobacco-Free Life
  5. The idea caught on and the first "D-Day" or "Don't Smoke Day" was held in Minnesota in 1976TIME Magazine: The Great American Smokeout (November 20, 2008)
  6. The American Cancer Society began sponsoring the event in 1977TIME Magazine: The Great American Smokeout (November 20, 2008)
  7. By the early 1980s, nearly 16.5 million people participated in the Great American SmokeoutTIME Magazine: The Great American Smokeout (November 20, 2008)
  8. Smokers who smoke one pack a day spend about $1,600 a year on cigarettesMarketWatch: 24 Hours of Kicking Butts (November 20, 2008)

• Cancer and Smoking

  1. Use of tobacco products contributed to over 438,000 premature deaths in the U.S. between 1997 and 2001American Cancer Society: Great American Smokeout Statistics
  2. 87 percent of lung cancer deaths are associated with smokingAmerican Cancer Society: Great American Smokeout Statistics
  3. At least 16 types of cancer are associated with smokingAmerican Cancer Society: Great American Smokeout Statistics

• Related Pages On Mahalo

  How to Quit Smoking | Quit Smoking Nicotine Addiction | Nicotine Patch | Chantix (Varenicline) | COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease | Emphysema | Lung Cancer | How to Quit Smoking Videos | Electronic Cigarettes | Nicotine | Cheap Cigarettes | How to Plan a Senior Skip Day

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