-
10,000 BCE
Discovery of Beer
Beer was first discovered in an area known as the Fertile Crescent. Its discovery was an accident due to the non water tight storage areas of grain. -
10,000 BCE
Discovery of Beer
Beer was first discovered by accident. The storage of cereal grains in non water tight storage areas allowed for the fermentation of the grains. -
6000 BCE
Farming Begins
From around 7000- 5000 BCE farming became a norm in civilization. After the need for large amounts of cereal grains and other food stuffs, farming became widely popular. Farming went hand in hand with towns and even cities. -
4000 BCE
Discovery of Wine
Wine was discovered With the use of Eurasian Grape Vine, cereal grains, and pottery. This all took place in the Zagros Mountains in modern day Armenia and Northern Iran. -
3400 BCE
Writing Emerges
Some of the earliest writing forms was used. Beer drinking was said to be a hallmark of civilization, which was shown largely in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Beer and bread was considered what distinguished them from savages. -
2697 BCE
The First Cup of Tea
Between 2737 and 2697 the first ever cup of tea was said to have been brewed. This was by China's emperor Shen Nung, whose reign is the second highest of China's legendary emperors. The story is not known to be accurate but the Chinese insist on it being in old texts. -
2650 BCE
Egyptians and Beer
Just as beer was important to the Mesopotamian people, the Egyptians found it just as important. Beer even appeared in some prayers written down by the Egyptians. -
2500 BCE
Beer as Payment
Around the constructions of the pyramids people were paid in beer and bread. Also beer in ancient Egyptian writing was mentioned more than any foodstuff and was also said to have some mythological powers. -
870 BCE
The View of Wine
During the feast of the inauguration of King Ashurnasirpal the second of Assyria wine became a very sophisticated drink. Only the rich could now afford wine to drink regularly. -
300 BCE
Wine and Philosophy
Philosophers like Plato drank wine to help them with studies. Plato once said he believed that wine provided a good way to test a man's character. This was because it was seen as a very special and important drink where only the most important people could afford to drink it. -
79
Wine's Universal Role
Later down the road wine was being mass produced and prices for this special drink fell. Now it was known as a drink anyone could have. People like Caesar was drinking it as well as slaves. This helped it become the universal drink it is today. -
570
Wine and Religion
While wine was spreading over the world not all were sure about the use of it. After a small dispute between Christians and Islamic followers, the Islams decided they would not be using any forms of alcohol due to its intoxicating powers. -
700
Coffee's First Appearance
Coffee was first made somewhat popular but mainly in the Arab world. This drink replaced peoples morning drink, which was normally a weak beer or wine. Coffee offered a more stimulating start to the day. With its caffeine people could start the day more alert and ready. -
1550
Tea Reaches Europe
Around this time tea finally reached Europe's shores however it was in very small quantities. It wasn't until around 1610 that the first small commercial delivery from the Dutch arrived. From that point on tea was considered t be a novelty to the British. The first type of tea was green tea because that is what the Chinese drank. Black tea later showed up however its origins are still unknown. -
Coffee Makes it in England
Shortly before the death of the current Pope, was asked the opinion of the Catholic Church on coffee. At the time little was known about coffee to the English. So the pope had a Venetian merchant provide a sample of the drink and gave it to the pope. As the story tells the pope was enchanted by the taste and aroma and approved it for the consumption of Christians. -
Britain the most Tea Loving Country
Tea took off in Europe and was drank by almost everyone. Doctors would even say things like how people who drink tea live a longer, healthier, and overall just a better life. Some doctors also recommended multiple cups of tea a day. -
The Beginning of Spirits
As time went on people strived for new. All that came with the invention of spirits. One of these highly alcoholic drinks was called kill devil. Later it was known and still is known as Rum, no one at the time knows it but this drink is going to shape early America. -
Coffee in France
Coffee was spreading everywhere and one coffee house in London became famous. It was opened by Pasqua Rosee, she was an Armenian servant of an English merchant named Daniel Edwards. The coffee house showed to the public how much of a novelty coffee really was. Some claims about coffee was that it was effective against sore eyes, headache, coughs, dropsy, gout, and scurvy, and could prevent miscarriages. -
Spirits and Sailors
Rum was a drink made from the fermentation of wine and sugars. It is a very high in alcohol drink and was normally diluted with water and lime juice (to help with scurvy). This practice was normally done by the sailors of the time, and the drink became known as grog. -
Coffee's Spread Continues
Doctors in Marseilles, where Frances first coffee house opened, were trying to stop the spread of coffee. They said how vile and worthless the drink was but made no progress to stop it. By the end of the century coffee houses were flourishing all of Paris. When coffee spread to Germany the composer Bach wrote a "Coffee Cantata" criticizing those who unsuccessfully opposed coffee on medical grounds. -
Rum Becoming Global
Beer was still fairly popular at this time, however when the British started crossing over to the Americas they couldn't grow enough crop. This made them switch to rum and with this switch, America got its first favorite drink. With this the drink became very famous and cheap. also since it was so intoxicating one days wage of rum could get a man drunk for a week. -
Coffee is Produced in other Countries
For the first time coffee was being produced somewhere other than Arabia. However the Arabs did not let go of their coffee monopoly easily. Before shipping the coffee beans they were treated to make them sterile. However the Dutch eventually got their hands on the beans and began to grow them. The dutch grew their beans on the Java islands. Eventually the Arabian coffee monopoly fell because of the prices and "superior" Dutch coffee. -
The Size of Tea Imports
Official imports in Britain for tea were massive amounts. In 1699 it was about six tons of tea and it went up to around 11 tons a century later. This doesn't include the massive amounts of smuggled tea which probably would double the tea numbers already coming in. -
The Revolution is Sparked
Rum is still Americas favorite and it's being produced almost commercially. Most of the molasses used for the rum is coming from France and not England. This has created some conflict between the Americas and England. So they pass the Molasses Act. This act levied a prohibitive duty of sixpence per gallon on molasses. However the act was loosely enforced and the colonies just smuggled in the "superior" molasses from France. -
Road to Revolution
From 1764 to 1775 (the start of the revolution) the British really went down on the colonists. First thing was the dept left from the French and Indian war that Britain thought the colonists had to help pay off. Second was that from 1765-1773, three different laws were passed that didn't settle well with the colonists. There was the Townshend Act, the Stamp Act, and the Tea Act ( which led to the Boston Tea Party). -
The Start of Soda
Joseph Priestley is a English scientist who is the man who started soda as we know it today. He lived next to a brewery and was fascinated by the "fixed air" or carbon dioxide as we know it today. So he started to experiment and through his many experiments he found that the fixed air could be dissolved in water forming sparkling water. -
The Tea Party
In the colonies in the Americas tea was somewhat popular as well. However most tea was smuggled in instead of paying the high prices of England. The result of the smuggling was the Tea Act, which taxed tea even more and cracked down on tea smuggling. This led to the famous Boston Tea Party. This was where mostly merchants, dressed as Mohawk Indians, went aboard British tea ships and dumped out 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. This is one event that started the Revolution. -
Sparkling Water Starts to Spread
Priestley never tried to commercialize his product, however a man named Thomas Henry did. Henry found a way to produce up to 12 gallons of sparkling water at a time. In a pamphlet he even wrote how important it is to keep it sealed as tight as possible and to even add sugar and lemon juice. -
Commercializing Soda Water
Benjamin Silliman, was a scientist who made soda water a commercialized product. When he traveled to Europe in 1805 he saw the sale of soda water all over. When he returned to America he started selling it to friends and the demand became overwhelming. Later around 1807 in New Haven, Connecticut he began selling bottled water. -
The Creation of Coca-Cola
The story of coca-cola's creation is said to be that a pharmacist John Pemberton was trying to make a cure for headaches but accidentally made a caramel colored liquid and combined it with soda water. However this version of the story is a lie and the actual story is far more complex. -
Coca Colas Biggest Challenges
After the Great Depression Coca-Colas biggest competitor rose to the surface, Pepsi Cola. Since 1920 alcohol had been banned in America and Coca-Cola was scared their sales would go down. However the lift of prohibition had little effect of sales of Coca Cola. America had found its new favorite drink and it still stands to this day.