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10,000 BCE
End of Last Ice Age
The end of the last ice age left new regions suitable enough for a new environment. The improved land provided an ideal space for animals, and good soil for plants such as wheat and barley (led to the fermentation and discovery of beer). With the new conditions, the nomads probably were pushed to domestication of animals and eventual farming. With the ice age, humans were able to begin to shift into the Neolithic Age. (picture https://www.livescience.com/40311-pleistocene-epoch.html) -
9000 BCE
Neolithic Period
This period produced the world's first civilizations, such as the Sumerians and Ancient Egyptians. With these new literate groups, farming was a new skill built, and eventually beer was fermented from the plants. Beer was used as a social drink, which may have helped keep these new civilizations functioning, and it helped the Neolithic Age to even exist. Some social traditions used with beer are still even kept alive today. http://nsms6thgradesocialstudies.weebly.com/agricultural-revolution.html -
6000 BCE
Invention of Pottery
Wine was invented in the Neolithic Period (9000- 4000 BCE). When people discovered wine in this new technological period, people wanted a way to store and make the wine. With the goal to reserve the new drink, pottery was created. It was an instrument to make, store, and serve wine and many other items. (picture http://gaukartifact.com/2013/03/07/what-is-pottery/) -
3400 BCE
First Writings
Some of the first writings discovered were the recorded history of beer. In this time, beer was seen as a hallmark of civilization.The importance of beer allowed these civilizations to develop a new system of communication. Writing is a very important part of a civilization, and the discovery of beer pushed humans to take another huge step of advancement. (picture https://www.livescience.com/2283-writing-changed-world.html) -
2700 BCE
Gilgamesh as Sumerian King
Gilgamesh was the inspiration for the world's first amazing literary work, "Epic of Gilgamesh". In the story, beer played a large role in some passages. With the influence of beer, our first example of a story was written. (picture http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Gilgamesh_(Epic_of_Gilgamesh)) -
1550 BCE
"The Ebers Papyrus"
This Egyptian medical text found was based on many older documents for herbal remedies, and many of those involved in the use of beer. Because beer is less likely to be contaminated (a good aspect for medicine), Egyptians were able to make extreme advances into the medical field. Eventually, Egyptians even recorded with a system of writing, the medical advancements they were able to find with the help of beer. (picture http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap2B/Egypt/Eber-B.htm) -
539 BCE
Fall of Neo-Babylonian Empire
The last ruler, Nabonidus, of the Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to the Persians. Before it fell though, Nabonidus boasted about the prohibitive cost of wine. At the time, wine was only a luxury the rich could afford, and Nabonidus most likely spent a good amount of time on increasing the amount of wine in his country. Maybe his obsession with wine was what caught this ruler off guard when the Persians came to fight. ( picture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BwaygHR-Hc) -
331 BCE
Alexander the Great Defeats Persians with Greeks
At the time, Greeks saw themselves as superior to the Persians, pushing them to include themselves in this fight. One reason for their new found superiority was wine. Wine was used in social meetings to show a sense of intelligence. With the new intellectual wine symposions, Greeks saw themselves as different and superior to all foreign, beer drinking, barbarians. (picture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great) -
323 BCE
Alexander the Great Dies
Alexander the Great was known to be a very heavy drinker, and at the time wine was seen as the best liquor out there. He even killed one of his friends in a drunken brawl. As Alexander died of a mysterious disease, he also consumed wine, which some believe contributed to his death. Like many others in this time period, wine held a very strong spell over Alexander the Great's mind. (picture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Alexander_the_Great) -
570
Muhammad is Born
Muhammad spread the new faith of Islam, making him the founder of one of the modern worlds most popular religions. One belief of this new religion was Muhammad condemned the consumption of wine/alcohol. Therefore, Muslims abstained from alcohol, making Muslims even more different from the European Christians. (picture http://www.conservapedia.com/Muhammad) -
1430
Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg was the inventor of the very important printing press. Some of the papers printed on this new press were about spirits. With the printing press, the news of spirits spread quickly about its benefits in social drinking and medicine. In 1478, Michael Puff von Schrick even published a book on how to make this new drink. (picture http://typoretum.co.uk/woodentypes/the-printing-press/) -
1440
Portuguese Began Shipping Black Slaves
A slave trade began, and a new industry began. Eventually, they would trade the new drinks of spirits in exchange for slaves. Because of this trade, spirits were in great demand, and a new era of slavery began. (picture http://www.aaihs.org/from-the-ocean-floor-death-memory-and-the-atlantic-slave-trade/) -
Puritanical Oliver Cromwell Dies
When Cromwell died, public opinion turned in favor of restoring the monarchy. To discuss these political situations, coffeehouses were centers for the political debates. Because of the important topic, coffeehouses traditionally became the first choice of a meet up when you needed to speak. (picture http://www.olivercromwellshouse.co.uk/index.php?page=oliver_cromwell) -
Marriage of Charles II to Catherine of Braganza
With this new marriage, tea was brought into the British lifestyle. Catherine was a devoted tea drinker and brought the custom from Portugal. Without this marriage, tea would not have held the important role in the development of England. (picture http://loyaltybindsme.blogspot.com/2012/07/did-charles-ii-love-catherine-of.html) -
The Great Fire of London
When the Great Fire of London occurred, many houses and coffeehouses were destroyed. But in the places of those destroyed, more coffeehouses arose. By 1700, there were 3,000 coffeehouses. The fire may have been devastating, but it made a path for more of the historically important coffeehouses to rise. (picture http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/great-fire-london-anniversary-explained-8741830) -
Establishment of London Penny Post
When penny posts were established, coffeehouses were used as mailing addresses. Now, people would come in for coffee and to check for mail. This new aspect distinguished London coffeehouses from others around the world.
(picture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Penny_Post) -
Discovery of the Concept of Gravity
One day in a coffeehouse, where most important conversations were held, a theory of gravity came up in with three men. One of the three men came upon Isaac Newton once and told Isaac of the ideas the men came up with in that coffeehouse, which helped Newton complete his theory of gravity. Thanks to the social influence of coffee, Isaac Newton was able to give us the important concept of gravity. (picture https://www.sciencenews.org/article/einsteins-genius-changed-sciences-perception-gravity) -
First Coffee Plant Given to Louis XIV and Paris
When Louis XIV was given the coffee plant, he sent it to Martinique, since he didn't want the plant. When it reached the island, coffee exports were sent to France from the plant, and eventually the exports spread across Europe. This new coffee was seen as superior to Arabian coffee, putting London high in trade. (picture https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-XIV-king-of-France) -
Tea Reaplacing Silk as Main Trade
In the eighteenth century, trade of tea began in China. Eventually, tea displaced silk as the mainstay of imports. Tea was beginning to widen its horizon, and become the world known drink of today. (picture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea) -
Molasses Act
When the Molasses Act was passed, Americans in the rum making industry soon found that they were not getting enough materials for production of their favorite drink. So distillers decided to ignore the law. Since Britain did nothing to stop the resentment of this act, colonists started to believe they didn't have to follow the British laws. This was most likely one of the many steps to the Revolutionary War. (picture http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/molasses-act.html) -
Sugar Act
This Sugar Act was used after the French Indian war to reinforce the ignored Molasses Act. This new act soon became deeply unpopular in America. It was at this time that the popular slogan "no taxation without representation" became present. With this new act slowing down America's favorite drink (rum), the colonists came another step closer to America's independence. (picture http://www.carolana.com/NC/Royal_Colony/The_Sugar_Act_1764.html) -
Boston Tea Party
When the Tea Act came into action, Americans were very unhappy. In response, protestors dressed as Mohawk Indians threw 342 chests of tea into the water in an act of rebellion. When the British responded to this, colonists only got more angry. Eventually, with the help of tea, American colonists started the historically known Revolutionary War. (picture https://www.landofthebrave.info/boston-tea-party.htm) -
British Defeat the Dutch
The Dutch were the only thing in England's way of dominating the East Indies Trade. When The British came out victorious after the battle, they seized control of the tea trade. With this new achievement, tea was available all over England, and it soon become a social drink that played a large role in how the country grew. (picture http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Anglo-Dutch_Wars) -
Scurvy Treatment
Spirits were a new favorite drink around the world, and to spice it up, lemon and lime were added to the liquor. Because of the new inclusions, sailors got more vitamin C. This fought off the dangerous disease of scurvy on ships. (picture https://wallpapersafari.com/old-ship-wallpaper/) -
Opium Trade with China
With England's large tea trade, they soon found themselves in debt with China. But the British soon found that China wanted Opium, and the British were able to give them the drug in exchange for the silver to pay off their debt. Tea was the reason behind the opium trade and the eventual opium war. (picture http://www.jonathanlewy.com/american_opium_trade/) -
Discovery of Coca-Cola
Pharmacist John Pemberton wanted to get into the patent medicine business again, and the ingredient coca was the answer. Coca leaves sharpened the mind, suppressed hunger, and helped cure addiction to opium. It started alcoholic, but Pemberton was forced to change it, and eventually he added soda water. This new drink became a new favorite of America, and became an important world renowned tradition. (picture https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-XIV-king-of-France) -
Ban on Alcohol
On July 1, it was voted to prohibit the sale of alcohol for a two year trial period. With this new law, John Pemberton (creator of Coca-Cola) was forced to change his original French Wine Coca. Without this ban on alcohol, the Coca-Cola that helped grow the America we know today might not exist in the same way. (picture http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/liquor-ban-in-bihar/1/632772.html) -
Tax on Medication
This tax on medicine was originally meant to include Coca-Cola, but after a fight, Coca-Cola was excluded from the tax. Because of this new advantage, Coca-Cola proved enormously successful. Eventually, Coca-Cola reached every village in America and its important distinctive shape was reached in 1916. (picture https://www.artiopartners.com/blog/medical-deduction-american-expatriates/) -
Pure Food and Drug Act
This act helped eliminate some of Coca-Cola's competitors, but it also put some obstacles in it's path. Not long after the act was passed, Harvey Wiley investigated the popular industry. He soon found that Coca-Cola had caffeine, and it went to trial. In the end though, Coca-Cola came out as a winner, and only had to eliminate half of the caffeine. Coca-Cola, now legally sanctioned had reached realms where coffee and tea hadn't reached. (http://48842902.weebly.com/pure-food-and-drug-act.html) -
War in Iraq
By the time of this war, a new idea of anti-Americanism had emerged on soft drinks. Coca-Cola, being very popular, was poured on the ground by Muslims in a protest to the American led invasions. After this, Coca-Cola suspended its production. Coke had become so important in American culture, that it was being used to fight a war. (picture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Movod0d-Ruo)
