Good afternoon students, this is Dr. Cooper. This week I felt like writing the history of a beverage. I wanted to do tea, but its history is too complicated; a bunch of stuff about China, India, and Britain that I really don't care about. So today we shall study a more modern thirst-quenching icon: Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola is the world's most popular soft drink, and is sold in every country except Cuba and North Korea. They are mainly well known due to their extensive advertising campaign; Coke signs and symbols are everywhere, a virtual tattoo on the arm of America. In its 127 years of existence, Coke has created a fascinating history of...historyness.
It all started around the late 1800's when soda first became popular. Many pharmacies began selling it because people at the time believed that carbonated water was good for your health (then again, they also thought radiation was good for you too). Coca-Cola itself was invented
in 1886 by Colonel John Pemberton, who was trying to find a cure for
drug addiction. Coke was marketed and sold as a medicine, and claimed to
cure headaches, stomachaches, nausea, and morphine addiction. This
might be true, considering that cocaine was an ingredient in Coke at the time. (I'm being serious) Coke contained 5 ounces of cocaine per gallon; it was removed from the recipe in 1903. Afterwards Coke quickly rose to the top in the fiercely competitive beverage market. By the 1930's, it had become a national icon. The famous glass Coke bottle was created in 1916 to distinguish it from other competing fountain drinks. The aluminum cans I dislike came into production in 1955.
In the 1980's, Coke and its rival, Pepsi, became engaged in the greatest battle in economic history...the Cola Wars. Both companies launched massive advertising campaigns against each other, and for a short while, Pepsi became #1 in sales. In 1985, Coca-Cola came up with either its greatest or stupidest idea ever, depending on how you look at it. They replaced the old original Coke formula with a new, sweeter version, and called it New Coke. People overwhelming liked the taste of New Coke better, but for some reason they got mad that Coke had been replaced, so the original Coke came back 3 months later. Sales skyrocketed from this event, leading people to believe that it had all been a marketing ploy to increase profits.
Not much else noteworthy happened except that Coke became more and more popular, thanks to its overly obsessive propaganda. Today Coca-Cola is the #1 drink in the world, with Diet Coke being #2. Pepsi, which I guess lost the Cola Wars, is at a soft #3. All the other drinks are irrelevant...
Fun Coke Facts!
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola
http://us.coca-cola.com/
Pictures: http://jdrfgolftournament.blogspot.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Coca-Cola is the world's most popular soft drink, and is sold in every country except Cuba and North Korea. They are mainly well known due to their extensive advertising campaign; Coke signs and symbols are everywhere, a virtual tattoo on the arm of America. In its 127 years of existence, Coke has created a fascinating history of...historyness.
It all started around the late 1800's when soda first became popular. Many pharmacies began selling it because people at the time believed that carbonated water was good for your health (then again, they also thought radiation was good for you too). Coca-Cola itself was invented
in 1886 by Colonel John Pemberton, who was trying to find a cure for
drug addiction. Coke was marketed and sold as a medicine, and claimed to
cure headaches, stomachaches, nausea, and morphine addiction. This
might be true, considering that cocaine was an ingredient in Coke at the time. (I'm being serious) Coke contained 5 ounces of cocaine per gallon; it was removed from the recipe in 1903. Afterwards Coke quickly rose to the top in the fiercely competitive beverage market. By the 1930's, it had become a national icon. The famous glass Coke bottle was created in 1916 to distinguish it from other competing fountain drinks. The aluminum cans I dislike came into production in 1955.In the 1980's, Coke and its rival, Pepsi, became engaged in the greatest battle in economic history...the Cola Wars. Both companies launched massive advertising campaigns against each other, and for a short while, Pepsi became #1 in sales. In 1985, Coca-Cola came up with either its greatest or stupidest idea ever, depending on how you look at it. They replaced the old original Coke formula with a new, sweeter version, and called it New Coke. People overwhelming liked the taste of New Coke better, but for some reason they got mad that Coke had been replaced, so the original Coke came back 3 months later. Sales skyrocketed from this event, leading people to believe that it had all been a marketing ploy to increase profits.Not much else noteworthy happened except that Coke became more and more popular, thanks to its overly obsessive propaganda. Today Coca-Cola is the #1 drink in the world, with Diet Coke being #2. Pepsi, which I guess lost the Cola Wars, is at a soft #3. All the other drinks are irrelevant...
Fun Coke Facts!
- Coke distributed the world's first coupons in 1888...offering a free glass of Coke.
- Coke was certified kosher by a rabbi in 1935.
- Only two people in the world are allowed to know the entire secret formula- the written recipe is locked in the company vault.
- The Coke logo is written in Spencerian Script font.
- Coca-Cola indirectly created the modern day image of Santa Claus...an advertisement poster depicted Santa as an old man in a red suit. The image became popular so it stuck.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola
http://us.coca-cola.com/
Pictures: http://jdrfgolftournament.blogspot.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
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