HISTORY
John Pemberton, a former Confederate officer turned pharmacist, created a new beverage at his Atlanta Pemberton Chemical Company on March 29, 1886. It was called Coca-Cola after two of its ingredients, coca leaves and kola nuts.
Pemberton had become addicted to morphine after taking a saber to the chest during the Battle of Columbus. Seeking a cure for his addiction, he began to experiment with painkillers that would serve as alternatives to morphine. After experimenting with coca and coca wines, he eventually created a recipe that contained extracts of kola nut and damiana, which he called Pemberton's French Wine Coca.
In 1886, when Atlanta and Fulton County enacted temperance legislation, Pemberton had to produce a non-alcoholic alternative to his French Wine Coca. The beverage he came up with was Coca Cola.
Coca Cola was originally sold as a patent medicine. Pemberton started selling his carbonated beverage on May 8, 1886 touting it as a cure for headaches, hysteria and melancholia..
Coca-Cola was originally green. It would still be green if coloring weren't added to it.
Coca Cola's name was chosen by Pemberton's bookkeeper Frank Robinson.
Despite an inauspicious start- only 25 sales of the patent medicine were made in its first year, Asa Candler, a wholesale druggist, purchased the formula for Coca-Cola from John Pemberton for $2,300. He began to improve the manufacturing process and started selling his syrup to local soda fountains, billing it as an "esteemed brain tonic and intellectual beverage.”
The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, was incorporated in Atlanta on January 15, 1889.
Coca-Cola was sold only as a fountain drink until 1894 when Vicksburg, Mississippi confectioner Joseph Biedenharn thought of bottling the beverage in the same manner he had been bottling soda water and offering it for sale to those who could not always make it to town to visit one of his three soda fountains. Bottled Coca-Cola was sold by him for the first time on March 12, 1894.
In 1894 the first big outdoor wall advertisement that promoted the Coca-Cola drink was painted on the side of a building located on 2 W Main Street, Cartersville, Georgia. It still exists today.
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| An early advertisement |
The Coca-Cola Company signed its first agreement in 1899 with an independent bottling company, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee which allowed it to buy the syrup and produce, bottle, and distribute the Coca-Cola drink. They sold for five cents per bottle.
Sales of Coca-Cola started increasing rapidly once it started being marketed as a soft drink rather than a medicine in the dry southern states.
Coca Cola went on sale in Britain in 1900.
Coca-Cola used to use the slogan "Good to the last drop," in the early 1900s. This slogan was later used by Maxwell House.
In 1905 Coca-Cola revealed the secret formula of their beverage to Rabbi Tobias Geffen, on condition that he not divulge it, so that he could determine whether it was kosher. He required a couple of tweeks, but was then able to certify Coca-Cola as kosher.
Coca-Cola used to contain so much caffeine, in 1909, the United States Government confiscated their products because the high caffeine content breached a food safety law. This case went all to the way to the Supreme Court. In 1916 Supreme Court ruling made them cut the amount in their soft-drinks by half.
In 1919, Coca-Cola went public at $40 per share, but a conflict with the sugar industry and its bottlers resulted in a crash shortly thereafter, and it went down to $19 per share.
By the mid 1920s Coca-Cola was being sold in grocery stores and restaurants throughout the United States and had become America’s favorite drink.
A banker by the name of Mark “Mr. Pat” Munroe, who lived in the small town of Quincy, Florida, noticed that even during the worst times of the Great Depression, otherwise impoverished people would still spend their last nickel to buy a Coca-Cola. Mr. Pat not only bought shares himself but encouraged the people of Quincy to invest, too. Quincy quickly became the richest town per capita in the entire U.S. at the time. At least 67 “Coca-Cola millionaires” amassed significant fortunes before passing these on to children and grandchildren.
Since he lived in Atlanta near The Coca-Cola Company's headquarters, Rabbi Tobias Geffen received many inquiries from rabbis across the United States inquiring whether Coca-Cola was kosher and whether it was kosher for Passover. In 1935 he asked the company for a list of the beverage's ingredients and the Rabbi was provided with its formula on the condition that he not disclose it. Geffen requested that the non-kosher beef tallow be substituted with a vegetable-based gylcerin, which was done, and the drink was declared kosher.
The development of "Hom-Paks," the first six-pack cartons, contributed to the growth of Coca-Cola and other soft drinks in America. This was due to the convenience of being able to carry these cartons and their ensuing increased availability across America.
American General Dwight Eisenhower was very fond of Coca-Cola and his fondness for the drink led to the construction of Coke bottling plants wherever the American troops landed during the Second World War.
Thus sales of the American soft drink rapidly increased in many different places around the world.
Coca-Cola produced a secret "White Coke" variant in the 1940s, which was made specifically for a powerful Soviet Military Marshall. He loved Coca-Cola but needed to hide the fact he was drinking it as it was seen as an American imperialist product.
A Spanish drink called "Kola Coca" was presented at a contest in Philadelphia in 1885, a year before the official birth of Coca-Cola. The rights to this Spanish drink were bought by Coca-Cola in 1953.
A bottle of Coke cost a nickel for its first 70 years. Eventually inflation killed the nickel Coke. The price of the ingredients rose and the last nickel Coke seems to have been in 1959.
As a result of BBC's anti product placement policy, Ray Davies of The Kinks was forced to make a round-trip flight from New York to London and back on June 3, 1970. He interrupted the band's American tour to change "Coca-Cola" to "cherry cola" in his recording of "Lola" in order to prevent a ban on the song.
Two years after the death of Chairman Mao, Coca-Cola started selling their popular soft drink in China. It was the first American consumer product to be sold in China since the communists came to power. Mao referred to Coca-Cola as “the opiate of the running dogs of revanchist capitalism.”
The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as “Kekoukela,” meaning “Bite the wax tadpole” or “female horse stuffed with wax”, depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent “kokou kole”, translating into “happiness in the mouth.”
In 1982 Coca-Cola introduced their own low calorie version called Diet Coke, the first new brand since it was created by John Pemberton to use the Coca-Cole trademark. It used aspartame, a synthetic sweetener made from two building blocks of protein, to reduce the sugar content whilst still retaining the sweet flavor of the drink.
In 1985 Coca-Cola introduced bottled Cherry Coke. Soda jerks at drug store fountains had been mixing it since the 1930s.
On April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola changed its classic formula and released New Coke, a sweeter version of its flagship product. The company had conducted extensive market research and taste tests that showed consumers preferred the taste of New Coke over the original formula.
Sales of Coca-Cola started increasing rapidly once it started being marketed as a soft drink rather than a medicine in the dry southern states.
Coca Cola went on sale in Britain in 1900.
Coca-Cola used to use the slogan "Good to the last drop," in the early 1900s. This slogan was later used by Maxwell House.
In 1905 Coca-Cola revealed the secret formula of their beverage to Rabbi Tobias Geffen, on condition that he not divulge it, so that he could determine whether it was kosher. He required a couple of tweeks, but was then able to certify Coca-Cola as kosher.
Coca-Cola used to contain so much caffeine, in 1909, the United States Government confiscated their products because the high caffeine content breached a food safety law. This case went all to the way to the Supreme Court. In 1916 Supreme Court ruling made them cut the amount in their soft-drinks by half.
In 1919, Coca-Cola went public at $40 per share, but a conflict with the sugar industry and its bottlers resulted in a crash shortly thereafter, and it went down to $19 per share.
By the mid 1920s Coca-Cola was being sold in grocery stores and restaurants throughout the United States and had become America’s favorite drink.
A banker by the name of Mark “Mr. Pat” Munroe, who lived in the small town of Quincy, Florida, noticed that even during the worst times of the Great Depression, otherwise impoverished people would still spend their last nickel to buy a Coca-Cola. Mr. Pat not only bought shares himself but encouraged the people of Quincy to invest, too. Quincy quickly became the richest town per capita in the entire U.S. at the time. At least 67 “Coca-Cola millionaires” amassed significant fortunes before passing these on to children and grandchildren.
Since he lived in Atlanta near The Coca-Cola Company's headquarters, Rabbi Tobias Geffen received many inquiries from rabbis across the United States inquiring whether Coca-Cola was kosher and whether it was kosher for Passover. In 1935 he asked the company for a list of the beverage's ingredients and the Rabbi was provided with its formula on the condition that he not disclose it. Geffen requested that the non-kosher beef tallow be substituted with a vegetable-based gylcerin, which was done, and the drink was declared kosher.
The development of "Hom-Paks," the first six-pack cartons, contributed to the growth of Coca-Cola and other soft drinks in America. This was due to the convenience of being able to carry these cartons and their ensuing increased availability across America.
American General Dwight Eisenhower was very fond of Coca-Cola and his fondness for the drink led to the construction of Coke bottling plants wherever the American troops landed during the Second World War.
Thus sales of the American soft drink rapidly increased in many different places around the world.
Coca-Cola produced a secret "White Coke" variant in the 1940s, which was made specifically for a powerful Soviet Military Marshall. He loved Coca-Cola but needed to hide the fact he was drinking it as it was seen as an American imperialist product.
A Spanish drink called "Kola Coca" was presented at a contest in Philadelphia in 1885, a year before the official birth of Coca-Cola. The rights to this Spanish drink were bought by Coca-Cola in 1953.
A bottle of Coke cost a nickel for its first 70 years. Eventually inflation killed the nickel Coke. The price of the ingredients rose and the last nickel Coke seems to have been in 1959.
As a result of BBC's anti product placement policy, Ray Davies of The Kinks was forced to make a round-trip flight from New York to London and back on June 3, 1970. He interrupted the band's American tour to change "Coca-Cola" to "cherry cola" in his recording of "Lola" in order to prevent a ban on the song.
Two years after the death of Chairman Mao, Coca-Cola started selling their popular soft drink in China. It was the first American consumer product to be sold in China since the communists came to power. Mao referred to Coca-Cola as “the opiate of the running dogs of revanchist capitalism.”
The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as “Kekoukela,” meaning “Bite the wax tadpole” or “female horse stuffed with wax”, depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent “kokou kole”, translating into “happiness in the mouth.”
In 1982 Coca-Cola introduced their own low calorie version called Diet Coke, the first new brand since it was created by John Pemberton to use the Coca-Cole trademark. It used aspartame, a synthetic sweetener made from two building blocks of protein, to reduce the sugar content whilst still retaining the sweet flavor of the drink.
In 1985 Coca-Cola introduced bottled Cherry Coke. Soda jerks at drug store fountains had been mixing it since the 1930s.
On April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola changed its classic formula and released New Coke, a sweeter version of its flagship product. The company had conducted extensive market research and taste tests that showed consumers preferred the taste of New Coke over the original formula.
The response from the public to New Coke was overwhelmingly negative, with consumers expressing their dissatisfaction and anger through phone calls, letters, and even protests. Coca-Cola's executives soon realized their mistake and brought back the original formula, which they rebranded as "Coca-Cola Classic," in less than three months. The incident is now remembered as one of the most significant marketing failures in history.
Three locals in the Spanish town of Aielo de Malferit began producing beverages from the fruit of kola nut trees and the leaves of coca plants in 1880. Their drinks started winning innovation prizes around the world, including one for Kola Coca in Philadelphia in 1885. John Pemberton introduced Coca-Cola a year later.
On September 18, 1988, Kuwait lifted its 21-year ban on the sale of Coca-Cola. The company had been blacklisted in 1967, along with other American companies that had operations in Israel, during the Arab League's boycott of Israel. The ban was lifted after Coca-Cola "proved its good intentions and promised not to make proscribed relations with Israel in the future," according to a decree published by Kuwait's Boycott of Israel Office.
FUN COCA COLA FACTS
Three locals in the Spanish town of Aielo de Malferit began producing beverages from the fruit of kola nut trees and the leaves of coca plants in 1880. Their drinks started winning innovation prizes around the world, including one for Kola Coca in Philadelphia in 1885. John Pemberton introduced Coca-Cola a year later.
Even Fidel Castro hated New Coke, calling it “a sign of American capitalist decadence.”
The Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho lost his 750k deal with Coke for drinking Pepsi.
A can of diet coke will float in water, while a can of regular coke will sink.
According to Coca-Cola, the "perfect" temperature to serve its drink is between 34 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
Coca-Cola from McDonald's tastes different compared to other restaurant chains due to a unique delivery system, water filtration, syrup-to-water ratio, and cooler temperatures.
Coca-Cola has been used effectively as a first line treatment for phytobezoars, a trapped mass in the stomach composed of indigestible plant material which can lead to serious symptoms. It works by dissolving material that otherwise would not be broken down. 93.1% cases were resolved.
Coca-Cola’s formula still includes extract from the coca leaf, the source plant of cocaine, the original stimulant in addition to caffeine. Imported from Bolivia and Peru, the leaves are processed by a plant in New Jersey, the only plant authorized by the US federal government to do so.
The two people that have the recipe for Coca Cola are not permitted to travel in a vehicle together in case of a crash.
Icelanders drink more Coca-Cola than any other nation, at eight bottles a week on average.
There are only 33 brands of non-alcoholic beverages in the world today that generate at least $1 billion in annual revenue. Coca-Cola owns 15 of them.
The Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho lost his 750k deal with Coke for drinking Pepsi.
A can of diet coke will float in water, while a can of regular coke will sink.
According to Coca-Cola, the "perfect" temperature to serve its drink is between 34 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
Coca-Cola from McDonald's tastes different compared to other restaurant chains due to a unique delivery system, water filtration, syrup-to-water ratio, and cooler temperatures.
Coca-Cola has been used effectively as a first line treatment for phytobezoars, a trapped mass in the stomach composed of indigestible plant material which can lead to serious symptoms. It works by dissolving material that otherwise would not be broken down. 93.1% cases were resolved.
Coca-Cola’s formula still includes extract from the coca leaf, the source plant of cocaine, the original stimulant in addition to caffeine. Imported from Bolivia and Peru, the leaves are processed by a plant in New Jersey, the only plant authorized by the US federal government to do so.
The two people that have the recipe for Coca Cola are not permitted to travel in a vehicle together in case of a crash.
Icelanders drink more Coca-Cola than any other nation, at eight bottles a week on average.
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. It sells a variety of soft drinks, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta, and Minute Maid. The company has operations in over 200 countries and territories.
There are only 33 brands of non-alcoholic beverages in the world today that generate at least $1 billion in annual revenue. Coca-Cola owns 15 of them.
According to the Coca-Cola Company, 2.6 billion servings of Coca-Cola are consumed worldwide every day. This is equivalent to approximately 11,000 soft drinks per second.
The consumption of Coca-Cola is highest in the United States, where people drink an average of 400 servings per year. Other countries with high consumption rates include Mexico, Brazil, and China.
Coca-Cola is the most "liked" company on Facebook with more than 79 million fans giving it the thumbs up.
12% of all the Coca-Cola in America is drunk at breakfast.
Every second, 8000 Coca-Cola Company products are consumed in the world.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi are sold in every country in the world, except Cuba and North Korea.
"Coca-Cola" spelled out phonetically in Mandarin can mean "female horse fastened with wax," "wax-flattened mare," or "bite the wax tadpole."
"Coca-Cola" is the second most well understood word in the English language after "Okay." 94% of the world's population recognizes Coca-Cola.
Source USA Today
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