Word: cigar
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Cuba's fertile land and favorable climate allowed all three types of tobacco leaves used in a cigar - the wrapper, filler and binder - to be harvested on the island, and sailing ships were soon distributing Cuban tobacco from Europe to Asia. Columbus had claimed Cuba for Spain, and the Spanish soon cornered the nascent industry, mandating in the 17th century that all tobacco for export be registered in Seville; they later tightened their stranglehold on the market by forbidding Cuban growers to sell the crop to anyone but them - a monopoly that persisted until...
Though Cuban cigars are perhaps the world's most revered, the stogie probably didn't originate on the island. Cigar smoking first took hold elsewhere in the Americas-exactly where and when remains uncertain. A ceramic pot discovered in Guatemala that dates at least as far back as the 10th century depicts a Mayan puffing on tobacco leaves bound up with string. (The Mayans may also have handed down the object's name: their term for smoking, sikar, likely led to the Spanish cigarro, from which the cigar takes its name.) When Columbus stumbled upon the Americas...
According to Cigar Aficionado, nearly half of all U.S. Presidents smoked. Ulysses S. Grant never shook the cigar habit he picked up during the Civil War. William McKinley had a similar love of stogies, but like Obama, he never allowed himself to be photographed in the act. Theodore Roosevelt barred his daughter Alice from smoking in the White House, so she took her habit to the roof. Calvin Coolidge was known to offer cigars to Congressmen after White House breakfasts...
...last governor before Blagojevich to be charged with a felony was the last governor Illinois had before Blagojevich, George Ryan. Prior to taking office, the cigar-chomping wheeler-dealer served two terms as secretary of state, from 1991-1999. In 1994, a fatal truck accident outside Ryan's office inadvertently exposed a scheme to trade truck operators' licenses for political contributions. The subsequent investigation, called Operation Safe Road, took years to complete; when it was done, 79 people were charged, including Ryan. The former governor was found guilty on 18 felony counts, including racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud, tax fraud...
...small group of judges—his potential investors. “We can hang out like a warm shower and get up in the morning and know this wasn’t just a professional relationship,” he said, donning a bathrobe and pulling a cigar from his pocket. A few minutes later, the judges named Coleman the champion, joking that his gifts of cigars and whiskey hadn’t hurt his chances. Coleman and other contestants said they enjoyed the experience, despite its absurdity. “I’m overjoyed, though I have...