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Nikki Tundel
St. Paul, Minn.

Smoking bans have come and gone

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Smoking
The popularity of smoking bans has waxed and waned. In 1624, Pope Urban VIII issued a worldwide smoking ban and threatened to excommunicate anyone caught in the church with tobacco products. The ban was repealed by Pope Benedict XIII, a tobacco user.
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

After an eight-hour debate, the Minnesota House passed the "Freedom to Breathe" bill on Thursday.

This move by Minnesota lawmakers is simply the latest in a worldwide wave of new smoking legislation. Politicians from India to Iceland are re-evaluating just where their citizens should be allowed to light up.

While it might seem like a modern-day debate, the fight for the right to smoke -- or avoid smoke -- has been going on for centuries.

Reporter Nikki Tundel takes a look at the curious history of smoking bans.

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Up in smoke
The popularity of smoking bans has waxed and waned. In 1624, Pope Urban VIII issued a worldwide smoking ban and threatened to excommunicate anyone caught in the church with tobacco products. The ban was repealed by Pope Benedict XIII, a tobacco user.
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images