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50,000 BCE
Humans Leave Africa
Humans finally moved out in other regions of the world, leaving Africa. As they moved, homes were temporary, and food and other resources were hunted and gathered. These small groups then shifted in the way they lived, growing their food, domesticating animals, and settling in villages. Villages settled down, and could soon await on a new drink, beer. This was made out of wheat and barley, and most likely wouldn’t exist if humans didn’t move out of the Paleolithic Era. -
6000 BCE
Invention of Pottery
Pottery was used to store the very first kinds of alcohol, which was needed to preserve the drinks. Beer is made from cereal crops, which come in surpluses and could easily be stored in pottery. This allowed beer to be made successfully and in large amounts. Pottery also allowed beer to be served in individual cups instead of vases. -
3000 BCE
First Writing Created
Cuneiform was invented by one of the first civilizations to have a system of writing, the Sumerians of Mesopotamia. Cuneiform was often used to keep records, especially of transactions between people, involving the distribution of beer. Cuneiform showed two people drinking out of a vessel, though at this time Sumerian civilization was progressed enough for individual drinks out of smaller cups. -
2650 BCE
Saving of Egyptian Civilization
Egyptian writing within the pyramids tells a tale of how beer was able to save Egyptian civilization from Ra the sun god. Ra supposed humans had plotted against him, and Ra was set to finish humans with the power of the goddess Hathor. Ra realized that removing humans would leave no man to worship him, and took pity upon them. Seven thousand jugs of beer were prepared for Hathor, she became intoxicated and forgot about her task. Hathor became the goddess of brewing and beer. -
2500 BCE
Pyramids of Egypt
Pyramids of Egypt were orchestrated together on the Giza plateau, and workers needed compensation. Average portions for laborers were two jugs of beer, and three loaves of bread. Laborers were once thought of as an army of slaves, but actually state employees. Managers and other higher-ups received more of both. A theory about how these pyramids were built was that farmers built them during the flood season, when fields were flooded and unable to produce. -
323 BCE
Death of Alexander The Great
Alexander III and his father, Philip the second, were both known to be heavy drinkers. Alexander killed his friend Cleitus the Black in a drunken quarrel. Evidence leads to Alexander dying to a disease due to his heavy drinking habits, likely alcohol poisoning. The claims that he died of an alcoholic illness may be unlikely, but could be true do to the mass amount of debauchery in history. -
300 BCE
The Second Invasion of Greece
The second invasion of Greece was a battle that involved two city-states of Greece, Athens and Sparta, and Persia. Greece defined foreigners as barbaric in which the way they spoke and the way they drank. The city-states collaborated to fend off Persia, but were later turned against each other. Alexander the Great, ancient Greek king of Macedon, helped Greece to defeat the Persians. The Greeks declared themselves enemies with Persia for being different in the way they operate. -
87 BCE
Death of Mark Anthony
Roman politician Mark Anthony’s fate was decided over what wine matters over another. At the time of his last days, Gaius Marius had taken power and was executing supporters of his enemy, Sulla, former member of the Roman consul. Anthony hid himself in a friend’s house of a lower economic status, hoping he would stay missing from the general’s eyes. Anthony was given away when the owner of the house sent a servant to purchase wine only a wealthy person could afford. Marius then beheaded Anthony. -
Period: 410 to 455
Rome Sacked of Wine
Once the Roman empire was split into Eastern and Western sides, the West struggled to keep up. Germanic tribes from the Northeast came over to ransack Rome, and created a kingdom containing a majority of Spain and western Gaul. Rome would also be raided by the Germans forty-five years later, it wasn’t long after this second raid that Western Rome collapsed. The Visigoths were heavy beer drinkers, and wine was not in the discussion most often. After the raids, much of Roman life was thrown away. -
Period: 570 to 632
Start of Islam and The Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad was born during 570 CE and during the age of forty, Muhammad saw visions of Allah, and the holy book of Islam, the Quran. As Islam took over much of the Arab world, the beliefs became unpopular, as alcoholic drinks were prohibited. Islam is the biggest religion in the world, with around two billion members. Allah said to the Prophet,”Wines and games of chance... are abominations devised by Satan.” Staying away from drinks is apart of the religion, and punishment comes with consumption. -
1387
Death of Charles The Bad
Charles's the Bad was a king when he was alive, but not a well liked king. At the time of his prime distilled drinks were significant to human life. They were found to cure sickness, the plague, and even paralysis, which is what Charles had. The room was lit by candles, and Charles was covered by a blanket drenched in the distilled drink. A servant knocked a candle onto the blanket, and the king was immediately ignited and killed. This was a reason to impose a tax on the people. -
Period: 1400 to 1500
Colombian Exchange
Shortly after the excursion to the New World, Columbus found a way to make business out of the sugarcane industry. But Columbus wouldn’t do the dirty work himself, for four centuries slaves from Africa were packed tightly onto ships. Some slaves did not survive, as conditions were not favorable.The boats traveled on a trade route across the Atlantic Ocean called the Middle Passage. The role of distilled drinks grew as European nations took part. -
1492
Christopher Columbus and Exploration of the New World
Columbus sailed with three ships to modern day America and South America. Originally, Columbus set out on a voyage to find the East Indies, but actually discovered the islands of the Caribbean. Lands he discovered did not possess rare commodities that the king of Spain wished for, but instead found prime real estate for production of sugar. Columbus also took a second voyage, in which he took sugarcane from the Canary Islands back to Spain. Production soon started in Spain. -
1496
Prohibiting Home Sale of Spirits
During the fifthteenth century, wine was expensive in Northern Europe, and people looked for something different, spirits. People were astounded by how powerful these spirits were, as it could quickly intoxicate the consumer. These drinks were made by distillation, and could quickly be made inside a household. However, the Germanic city of Nuremberg banned homesale of distilled drinks because people would always drink too much, and people would never drink little enough to stay a gentleman. -
1510
Coffee Added To Arab Prohibition
Coffee reached the Arab world early in the sixteenth century, and quickly spread. What once began as a religious drink, coffee transitioned into a social drink. Muslims would go to coffee houses believing it was a safe alternative to alcohol, but select religious leaders thought otherwise. Coffee was viewed as intoxicating, and it wasn’t long before leaders tried to get rid of coffee. Coffee was put on trial by governor Kha’ir Beg. The governor won, and coffee was burnt in the streets. -
Death of Pope Clement VIII
As coffee was the hot topic early in the seventeenth century, Pope Clement was asked to give the church’s opinion on coffee. Coffee was not huge in Europe, it wasn’t known well. The Pope decided to try coffee to make a final decision, and he thought coffee was invigorating and approved it for consumptions by all Christians. -
Mayflower Comes To America
The Mayflower traveled across the Atlantic to arrive at the Hudson River, but traveled far North to Cape Cod. As alcohol was a large part of culture in Europe, the Pilgrims made an attempt to create both beer and wine, neither of which were easily makeable. Eight years later the ship Arbella carried upwards of ten thousand gallons of beer. The second half of the century was a lot easier for the Pilgrims, agricultural commodities would eventually be used to make and consume Rum. -
Foundation of Royal Society
The first Britain scientific institution was created by Christopher Wren, who acquired a taste for coffeehouse discussion. Wren was a leading scientist at the time, and was one of four members. The members would group at coffeehouses, and discuss demonstrations and theories. According to the scientists, the coffeehouses provided a relaxed atmosphere. These people would discuss theories and perform demonstrations at the coffeehouses. -
Charles 2nd Becomes King
Once King Cromwell died in 1658, someone had to take his role. A big name in the conversation was Charles 2nd. His name was constantly thrown around coffeehouses, even during the rule of Cromwell. Political debate was constant in the coffeehouses, and supporters of Charles played a great part in spreading his name. If it weren’t for coffeehouses, Charles may not have had a chance. -
Catherine of Braganza marries Charles 2nd.
Charles II married the daughter of King John IV, king of Portugal. Her dowry consisted of trading posts, an abundance of gold, and a chest of tea. This is when tea started to become more sophisticated in England. Before this marriage, tea could even be drank by beggars on the streets. Catherine, new spouse of Charles, was a tea drinker herself, and carried this custom with her. -
Great Fire of London
London was joining the movement of coffeehouses, and by 1663 there were eighty three of them. Many of these political centers were destroyed by the Great Fire of London, a fire that lasted four days and destroyed much of the city. But coffee wouldn’t surrender in London, as coffeehouses would have an exponential growth. An authority states around three thousand coffeehouses, though that is highly unlikely. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
It began with textile manufacturing, but also other fields. These things could be made, but not quickly, which introduced machines. The machines were used by laborers, who could speed up work as much as fifty times faster. The laborers would often drink tea instead of coffee. It is believed that tea was a better drink for the environment they worked in. Tea gave people the ability to stay alert for long shifts, and even “tea breaks” were given as a bonus. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea party was an event that started because the American colonists did not want to be overseen and controlled by England and The East India Company, who had a monopoly in tea. England would tax anything the colonists would buy, and it was hurting their wealth. The Americans refused to pay taxes and boycotted English goods. When a ship from the company came to the colonies, a group of rebels dressed up like Indians and threw every last tea chest off the boat. -
Assam Company
The East India Company took over an area of land that was valuable, as they believed tea easily grew there. They allowed people to establish plantations. This was the opportunity to establish the Assam Company, who took up most of the company's fields. They had difficulty hiring people, as many of the people were addicted to Opium. The company would make little profit over the years, until 1851, where their business became profitable, and showed people you didn’t have to be Chinese to make tea. -
Period: to
Opium Wars
In a short war fought between England and China, England was upset China would not allow them to sell opium to them anymore. They would trade opium for silver, which was their route to buying tea. The closing of the trade led to the Opium War. The war was a complete blowout, as British muskets were no match for China’s medieval weapons. England would quickly gain Hong Kong and five free trade routes. All reparations were paid in silver as well. -
Period: to
American Civil War
The Civil War consisted of the Confederate States of America, represented by the South, and The Union, represented by newly appointed Abraham Lincoln and the North. An estimated 750,000 people died, and this lead to General Robert E. Lee surrendering, and the Union winning. The Civil War united our country and allowed us to become a global superpower, and begin production on products such as Cola. -
The Great Depression
Following the Wall Street Stock Market crash, the Great Depression took a toll on much of the economy, which would have affected the sale of Cola. At the same time, alcoholic drinks were becoming legal once again, and citizens of the time wondered if Cola would stand a chance. But the repeal of Prohibition had little effect on the sales. Cola actually prospered during the Depression as well, because advertisements depicted Cola as happy and appealing during a time of despair. -
Period: to
World War ll
World War ll was a battle between the Allied and Axis powers. The United States belonged to the Allies powers, and were fully engaged into the war after Pearl Harbor in 1941, where Japanese planes attacked Hawaii. Once the United States were officially participating in the war, they brought Cola with them, and was made cheap for men in uniform. Cola was classified as a moral boosting drink for the men. America and the Allies Powers would defeat the Axis Powers in the end of the war. -
Period: to
Cold War
After World War ll, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union grew. The war was about the stop against communism, which America was against. At the time Cola was spreading worldwide, and a third of their profit came outside of the United States. This helped in political influence, as in the end, the Berlin Wall in Germany was taken down, and the Soviet Union was finally taken down. Communist supporters were against Cola, as they thought it would spread American culture to Europe. -
The Gulf War
The Gulf War was a war between the United States and Iraq. It started when Iraq invaded Kuwait. But at the same time, Cola and Pepsi were having their own battle. Cola was shipped to American soldiers, but it wouldn’t help as there were already five Pepsi factories in Saudi Arabia, the place where American soldiers were deployed. Cola would counter by establishing its own factories. It ended with Operation Desert Storm, which evicted Iraq forces out of Kuwait.
