52. Coca-Cola

    In 1886 John Pemberton, a druggist in Atlanta, Georgia, made a brown syrup by mixing coca leaves and cola nuts. Pemberton sold the syrup in his drugstore as a medicine to cure all kinds of problems. Pemberton called his all-purpose medicine "Coca-Cola."

    When few people bought Coca-Cola, Pemberton sold it to another druggist, Asa Candler. Candler decided to sell Coca-Cola as a soda-fountain drink instead of as a medicine.

    At the soda fountains in drugstores, the syrup was mixed with soda water to make the drink Coca-Cola. Candler advertised a lot and sold his syrup to many drugstores. Soon everyone was going to soda fountains and asking for Coca-Cola.

    Candler saw no reason for putting Coca-Cola into bottles. But two businessmen thought this would be a good idea. They got permission from Candler, and before long they became millionaires.

    As of 1903, coca leaves were no longer used in Coca-Cola. The exact ingredients used and their quantities are not known--the Coca-Cola Company keeps its recipe a secret.

    World War I helped make Coca-Cola popular outside the United States. The Coca-Cola Company sent free bottles of the drink to U.S. soldiers fighting in Europe. Coca-Cola became very popular with the soldiers--so popular that the U.S. Army asked the company to start ten factories in Europe. After the war, these factories continued to make Coca-Cola. Today, there are Coca-Cola factories around the world.