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The drink Coca-Cola was made in 1886 by an Atlanta pharmacist, John S. Pemberton, at his Pemberton Chemical Company. His bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, chose the name for the drink and penned it in the flowing script that became the Coca-Cola trademark. Pemberton originally touted his drink as a tonic for most common ailments, basing it on cocaine from the coca leaf and caffeine-rich extracts of the kola nut; the cocaine was removed from Coca-Cola’s formula in about 1903.
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By 1891 another Atlanta pharmacist, Asa Griggs Candler, had secured complete ownership of the business (for a total cash outlay of $2,300 and the exchange of some proprietary rights), and he incorporated the Coca-Cola Company the following year. The trademark “Coca-Cola” was registered in the U.S. Patent Office in 1893.
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The Coca-Cola Company was sold in 1919 for $25 million to a group of investors led by Atlanta businessman Ernest Woodruff. His son, Robert Winship Woodruff, guided the company as president and chairman for more than three decades.
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The trademark “Coke,” first used in advertising in 1941, was registered in 1945.
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In 1978 Coca-Cola became the only company allowed to sell cold packaged beverages in the People’s Republic of China.
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In 1982 the company introduced its low-calorie sugar-free soft drink Diet Coke (originally named Diet Coca-Cola).
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In 1985 the company changed the flavour of Coca-Cola, which thereafter was commonly referred to as New Coke. However, it was not well received, and, owing to the public outcry, Coca-Cola revived its original flavour, which was then marketed as Coca-Cola Classic.
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In 1992 the company introduced its first bottle made partially from recycled plastic—a major innovation in the industry at the time.
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In 2005 the company introduced Coca-Cola Zero, a zero-calorie soft drink with the taste of regular Coca-Cola.
