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50,000 BCE
Neolithic Revolution
During this pivotal turning point humans stopped using hunting and gathering as their primary food source. While they dropped their old ways they adopted a new lifestyle of agriculture. With the growth of agriculture also came the growth of permanent settlements. -
10,000 BCE
Storing Food
In 10,000 BCE humans developed and discovered a way to store food. They accomplished this task by using cereal grains and turning them into gruel. This helped maintain a larger ration stockpile for the rapidly increasing population. -
4000 BCE
Advancements in writing
During Sumerian civilization beer was crucial in their journey to more advanced records and documents. These helped them create a more stable and sturdy civilization. These records were set in stone tablets that would be left out in the sun to bake so the records could be permanent. -
4000 BCE
Arab Alchemists Discover Stronger Drink
Around 4000 BCE ancient Mesopotamia Arabic Alchemists discovered a more alcoholic drink which we know as spirits. They stumbled upon this discovery by using science. For instance they knew that the boiling point of alcohol was lower than that of water. -
3400 BCE
The Drink of the Civilized Man
Beer was a crucial staple in ancient civilizations social structure. The drink was depicted as a sign of being civilized and a modern human being. The drink was so important that it was mentioned in The Epic of Gilgamesh. -
2500 BCE
Utilized as Universal Payment
In many civilizations beer was used as a form of currency. Depending on your job or role you would get a certain amount of beer. It also depended on your social rank (child, women, man) -
870 BCE
Discovery of WIne
In ancient civilizations such as Nimrud in 870 BCE they discovered a new drink. They came up with wine, a drink derived from fermented grapes. And with this drink came a social status. Wine showed not only a persons wealth but with it their power. -
800 BCE
Discovery of Mixing Wine With Water
During the 8th Century BCE the Greeks almost perfected their culture of wine. As an extension to their practices of wine they came up with the method of diluting their wine with water. They did this because they did not want to become violent or irrational with their actions if they consumed to much alcohol. -
750 BCE
Golden Age Tea
During the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) tea became the national drink, showing up everywhere in their culture. This discovery of tea is supposed to have been uncovered by the second emperor of China, Shen Nung. Although tea was not used for drinking first it was used to heal wounds and was a foodstuff. -
750 BCE
Use of elaborate jugs
Around 750 BCE Europe merchants and wine companies started trademarking their goods. They achieved this goal by using jugs with distinct characteristics and features to brand their wine. This strategy led to people developing preferences for certain types of wine. -
700 BCE
Deemed Godly Drink
In the Mediterranean Greece was starting to glorify wine. Greeks started associating wine with gods. These stories they told included gods such as Dionysus, this god supposedly introduced the drinks to mortals. Therefore making him a very important person in Greek everyday life. -
500 BCE
Wine is Found in Every Greek Household
Around 500 BCE wine became a common household item in Greece. It was so popular in Greece that trade was in full effect 24/7. Off the coast of France they found a shipwreck containing 250,000 liters of wine. By 500 BCE their were different types wine ranging from old to new and strong to soft. -
1191
Reintroduced into Chinese Culture
After Mongolian rule, tea was reintroduced in the Ming dynasty. It was reintroduced with the help of a Buddhist monk named Eisai. Eisai used the medicinal tea leaf to cure the shogun Minamoto Sanetomo, the shogun after being cured by tea was an avid advocate for tea, spreading its benefits far and wide. -
1279
Mongols Take Over
When the Mongols took over China and much of Asia they influenced the culture and taste of the existing Chinese culture. Tea fell from its original popularity and a Mongolian drink know as koumiss. This drink was created from the fermentation of mares milk creating an alcoholic drink. Other drinks were also introduced into the Chinese culture due to the new cultural diversity that the vast Mongolian empire introduced. -
1300
Deemed Super Natural Drink
In France Arnold of Villa nova a professor studied the beneficial effects of distilled wine. He and others called the substance "aqua vitae" meaning "water of immortality" because it was believed to keep any who drank it in good health as well as keeping them youthful (longer life span). The drink was deemed supernatural and both Arnold and his pupil lived to be over 70 (average life span in 1300's was 31.3 years). -
1496
Brandy
In Germany around 1496 the Germans distilled beer and created brandy. This drink was more popular than wine because it was cheaper and easier to make. Although later on it did lead to problems, in cities such as Nuremberg they outlawed the drink entirely due to its ability to easily intoxicate anyone who drinks it. -
1510
Discovery of Coffee's Powers
There is debate over the exact origin of where coffee was discovered, some say it was discovered by a goat herder others argue it was discovered by a man named Omar. Regardless of its background and origin coffee almost immediately became a staple in Muslim and others culture due to its stimulating abilities while not intoxicating the drinker. The Muslims substituted alcohol for coffee and created coffee houses. Although not all saw coffee as non-intoxicating some places even banned the drink. -
1530
Ongoing Debate on Coffee
Although coffee was deemed legal along with chess and backgammon it was still perceived as frowned upon in some cities. For example, in places such as Cairo and Mecca people were constantly fighting for the closure of coffee houses. While some people argued that it intoxicated you others brought to attention that products such as onions created physical effects, but it was still legal. -
Distilled Wine Proved Better for Travel
During the 15th century or the age of exploration colonists found a use for distilled wine. The colonists or explorers would store the distilled wine on their ships for long trips. They did this because distilled wine both lasted longer and could be stored in large compacted quantities. -
Coffee Introduced Into English Mainstream
In 1666 thanks to Pasqua Rosee coffee houses were everywhere. They gained there popularity by acting as a place of business and politics where anyone could go and share there opinions and ideas in a civilized cohesive manner. These centers of knowledge rapidly grew there were around 3,000 coffee houses by 1666 in a city of 600,000 people (at the time). -
Theory of gravity
One January evening, Hooke, Halley and Wren met at a coffee house to discuss the topic of gravity and by the end they came up with the theory of gravity but they were in discord. Still heated Wren gave Hooke 2 months to prove his argument and so Hooke went to his trusted colleague Newton and asked him if planets had elliptical orbits. This inspired Newton to find proof for the theory therefore leading to his scientific discovery that planets do in fact have elliptical orbits. -
End of a Monopoly
In the late 1600's the Arabs had established a powerful coffee monopoly, but as popularity grew around the world so did the urge to create their own supplies. Since the Arabs knew that foreigners were trying to steal their beans they excluded them from visiting their coffee growing areas and only sold sterilized beans so they could not be grown. Eventually the European countries found a way to plant the product their own, the first to break the Arab monopoly were the Dutch. -
Main Export of China
In the 1700's trade was thriving between Europe and Asia regarding tea. Tea was gaining such popularity in Europe that it became the largest export of China topping silk. To even further the popularity and ease of access the Chinese opened it up to the Dutch East Trading Co. which not only increased trade but also made it cheaper so now the common household could afford it to. -
Revolutionary Rum
In North America before the revolution tea was getting taxed, but also just as importantly rum was being taxed as well. Rum also played an important part in the making of the United States. General George Washington gave his troops rum because it was their preferred drink during wartime. It was so important that John Adams after the was wrote to a friend that rum helped gain them their independence. -
British Take Control of Trade
During the late 1700's tea had become so influential in European culture that whoever controlled trade influenced the political world greatly. This led to disputes between the Dutch and the British leading to series of wars. In the end the British prevailed and took control of the tea trade throughout Europe. -
Creation of Coca-Cola
After unlucky events that led to John Pemberton's bankruptcy John was poor, but despite getting beaten he kept pursuing his goal of a medicine that could make him rich. Eventually John discovered the power of coca which originated from the Incans they called it "the divine plant". Coca had a stimulating effect that stimulated and sharpened the mind, similar to caffeine. -
Accidental Discovery
The origin of Coca-Cola is believed to have come from Atlanta Georgia from a man named John Pemberton who had stumbled across the drink on accident. John Pemberton was working towards the cure for headaches when he accidentally added the ingredients for Coca-Cola and discovered its potential. But, in fact Pemberton was an experienced patent maker of medicines. -
Rise of a Soda Empire
After Pembertons death, Candler took control of the company. And within the next few years Coca-Cola would become the nations drink, being that it was sold in every state in America. Candler dropped all his other product lines and focused on the Syrup business. He ended up selling 76,000 gallons annually. -
Dr. Wiley's Law
In 1916, Dr. Wiley got several laws passed that helped raise awareness for food purity and safety standards in America. In the beginning this was good for Coca-Cola because they were considered pure in Dr. Wiley's standards, but not short after he investigated the caffeine in the drink and declared it as bad for children. -
Nixon Joined the Race for Domination
During the cold war Nixon lost the Californian election for governor. In 1962 he was appointed to the ambassador of Pepsi. This was significant because Pepsi was selling behind the "Iron Curtain". They were able to get away with this because they had a more neutral presence in term of politics to the world. This benefited them greatly and gave them an edge on their competition Coca-Cola.
