11. Hitler introduced and led world’s first public anti-smoking campaign

Hitler used to smoke heavily as a teen. Some sources suggest that at one point he was consuming 40 cigarettes daily. But in his late 20s he stopped. He quit his smoking habit and called it “waste of health and money”. During his regime, he spoke vivaciously against smoking, calling it a “corruption” of youth. He also said that he was greatly sorrowed to see many “excellent men” been lost to the poison called tobacco.

Hitler encouraged his peers and friends to quit smoking. He would even offer money and prizes to people who would quit smoking. Hitler objected to the idea of soldiers smoking so freely.

During the World War II, Hitler said, “it is not correct to say that a soldier cannot live without smoking.”