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This Day in History Coca Cola Is Introduced
May 7, 2020 at 10:07 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Chris Sayles
One-hundred and thirty-three years ago, one company “popped” into the soda business with quite the steam across the U.S. Coca-Cola was introduced May 8, 1886, the same year the Statue of Liberty was dedicated to the U.S., and the beverage has been a staple in homes, stores and restaurants ever since .
The famed drink was concocted by John Pemberton, an American Civil War veteran and biochemist. Pemberton is known for creating the first formula for Coca-Cola or Coke back in 1886. Pemberton sustained life-threatening injuries in the Battle of Columbus in 1865 after a sword pierced his chest. In recovery, he would become reliant on morphine to ease the pain of his wounds, creating a lifelong addiction. Acknowledging this issue, he wanted to create a medicine that would help those struggling with drug addiction, and the formula for Coca-Cola was born.
When he first created the “medicine,” he had advertised its value specifically for women dealing with addiction. That same year amidst the temperance movement, Georgia’s Fulton County and the city of Atlanta passed a prohibition act, outlawing the consumption of alcoholic beverages. This would force Pemberton to create a recipe that was alcohol-free, while still providing the same “medicinal” benefits.
With the help from an Atlanta drugstore owner, Pemberton was able to create a beverage that mixed coca leaves and kola nuts while accidently mixing carbonated water with a sugary syrup base. This came to be known as “Coca-Cola,” coined by product marketer Frank Robinson at the time. This product garnered a lot of attention among medicines at the time, especially because the name implied use of cocaine in its product.
Pemberton eventually sold the rights of Coca-Cola after reviving his morphine addiction and bankrupting his company in the process. The buyer was Atlanta pharmacist Asa Candler, who bought the full patent for the beverage for nearly $2,000, equal to about $50,000 today.
Under the direction of Candler, the famed product would be revitalized in 1892 and the “Coca-Cola Company” was born. In just three years, the Coca-Cola Company would sell its product nationwide for just five cents a pop . Advertisement at the time said Coca-Cola relieved mental and physical stress and was a “cure for headaches.”
The iconic logo for Coca-Cola was designed by Frank Robinson in 1888, and the trademark bottle arrived in 1915.
The controversial ingredient, cocaine, was removed from its namesake drink in 1903. No one knows for sure, but speculations run rampant that extracts of the coca leaves, after the cocaine is removed for legal pharmaceuticals, is still used in the secret formula.
Since 2011, the secret formula for the great tasting drink is in a vault at the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta. It is also rumored that only two people in the world have access to the formula, but that the formula used in today’s bottles are completely different than the original recipe in 1886.
Coca-Cola continues to bring happiness to their customers through a sugar rush of joy whenever the fizzy bubbles tickle your lips. One thing is for sure, Coca-Cola is a historical treasure that keeps the world “pop”-ping.
The famed drink was concocted by John Pemberton, an American Civil War veteran and biochemist. Pemberton is known for creating the first formula for Coca-Cola or Coke back in 1886. Pemberton sustained life-threatening injuries in the Battle of Columbus in 1865 after a sword pierced his chest. In recovery, he would become reliant on morphine to ease the pain of his wounds, creating a lifelong addiction. Acknowledging this issue, he wanted to create a medicine that would help those struggling with drug addiction, and the formula for Coca-Cola was born.
When he first created the “medicine,” he had advertised its value specifically for women dealing with addiction. That same year amidst the temperance movement, Georgia’s Fulton County and the city of Atlanta passed a prohibition act, outlawing the consumption of alcoholic beverages. This would force Pemberton to create a recipe that was alcohol-free, while still providing the same “medicinal” benefits.
With the help from an Atlanta drugstore owner, Pemberton was able to create a beverage that mixed coca leaves and kola nuts while accidently mixing carbonated water with a sugary syrup base. This came to be known as “Coca-Cola,” coined by product marketer Frank Robinson at the time. This product garnered a lot of attention among medicines at the time, especially because the name implied use of cocaine in its product.
Pemberton eventually sold the rights of Coca-Cola after reviving his morphine addiction and bankrupting his company in the process. The buyer was Atlanta pharmacist Asa Candler, who bought the full patent for the beverage for nearly $2,000, equal to about $50,000 today.
Under the direction of Candler, the famed product would be revitalized in 1892 and the “Coca-Cola Company” was born. In just three years, the Coca-Cola Company would sell its product nationwide for just five cents a pop . Advertisement at the time said Coca-Cola relieved mental and physical stress and was a “cure for headaches.”
The iconic logo for Coca-Cola was designed by Frank Robinson in 1888, and the trademark bottle arrived in 1915.
The controversial ingredient, cocaine, was removed from its namesake drink in 1903. No one knows for sure, but speculations run rampant that extracts of the coca leaves, after the cocaine is removed for legal pharmaceuticals, is still used in the secret formula.
Since 2011, the secret formula for the great tasting drink is in a vault at the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta. It is also rumored that only two people in the world have access to the formula, but that the formula used in today’s bottles are completely different than the original recipe in 1886.
Coca-Cola continues to bring happiness to their customers through a sugar rush of joy whenever the fizzy bubbles tickle your lips. One thing is for sure, Coca-Cola is a historical treasure that keeps the world “pop”-ping.