Happy 103rd Birthday to Kirk Douglas

[Norbert]

[RT Atlanta]

1. Hope he enjoys a 'whale' of a birthday!

[CTyankee]

2. wow. I noticed the cigarette he was holding in the photo...was he a smoker?

He was a smoker and he's 103 years old? Good lord...

[Norbert]

3. The photo was taken, my guess, in the early 1950s.

The majority of people at least tried smoking back in the day. It was somewhat of a gateway to adulthood and cigarette radio and TV ads were plentiful and persuasive. There was no health warning labels either although my dad did tell me they referred to them as cancer sticks. Different times.

[CTyankee]

4. Yes, I smoked from age 17 to age 39 and quit because it became so unpopular nobody wanted to

be around you. Even my clothes smelled of cigarette smoke!

Smoking was deemed just about the unhealthiest thing you could do. Several cancers were connected to it. So we took precautions and quit.

I'll bet he quit smoking soon after this pic was taken!

[RhodeIslandOne]

5. My grandmother smoked well into her later years

.....and died at 97, not from lung problems either.