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The Holy Well of Malvern Hills becomes the first ever bottling plant. Believe to have healing abilities, mineral spring water is sold as medical remedy in pharmacies until the 20th century.
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Jackson's Spa of Boston becomes the first location in America to sell bottled water. Consumers believed bottled mineral water could cure ailments.
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Johann Jacob Schweppe manufactures the first carbonated water In Geneva, Switzerland in an attempt to recreated the "fizziness" felt in mineral water. This is also the start of the world-famous Schweppes company.
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A man named Joseph Hawkins gets a patent in the U.S. for "imitation mineral water," and carbonated water sales skyrocket in America. With technological advances leading to quicker, cheaper glass manufacturing, more bottles are on the shelves. At the time same, public fear of waterborne typhoid and cholera pushed them away from "contaminated" public water sources. Everyone wants bottled water.
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Dr. Alexander Cruickshank Houston ends the typhoid epidemic with use of permanent water chlorination in England. Maidstone, England was actually the first area to chlorinate its entire water supply back in 1897. The demand for bottled water begins to fade as the public has access to safe, free water.
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Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are patented. By switching to plastic, manufacturing costs are decreased lower than what was ever possible with glass. These are the same bottles still used today.
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Perrier starts the trend of sensationalizing bottled water. They claim to be the "World's First Soft Drink" in their ads to compete with the major players of the beverage industry.
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The beverage industry begins its attacks on public (tap) water in an effort to rake in more sales of bottled water. Robert S. Morrison of PepsiCo declares tap water an "enemy," saying it only belongs in irrigation and cooking. Susan Wellington of Quaker Oats Company's Beverage Division claims to one day relegate tap water to "showers and washing dishes." Even Brita Filters begins airing ads comparing drinking water to toilet water. They have launched a full-fledged fear campaign.
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The University of Central Florida hosts the first football game in its new stadium. In 100-degree weather, thirsty fans discovered there were no water fountains in the stadium; and bottles of water -- priced at $3 each -- were the only way to cool off. They could not bring their own bottles into the stadium for "safety reasons." Water bottles soon ran out, resulting in 18 people being hospitalized and 60 being treated on campus for heat-related illnesses. The university merely issues an apology.
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An investigation by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group reveals that some bottled water may contain untested industrial chemicals, thus putting the water's actual safety in question. It is no longer guaranteed to be safer than tap water.
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Bundanoon, a city in Australia, became the first to outright ban bottled water from store shelves. Water fountains were installed all throughout the city. Cities in America like San Francisco and Seattle soon followed suit by halting city purchases of water. In Chicago, there is now a five-cent tax for every bottle purchased.
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Thanks to sensational, glamorous advertising and the shift to a more health-conscious society, bottled water outpaces milk, coffee and juice in number of gallons sold. Only beer and soda are ahead of it.
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In 1976, the average American drank a gallon and a half of water a year. In 2013, research revealed that number had gone up to 31.8. Americans spent $12.3 billion on water that year.
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Water officially passes carbonated soft drinks (CSDs or soda) as the most consumed beverage worldwide. Water was estimated to reach around 233 billion liters, passing soda at 227 billion.
