-
10,000 BCE
Hunters and Gatherers
Beer had such an impact on early civilization that it was one of the biggest reasons why Hunter and Gatherers switched their lifestyle to nomadic ones. -
3400 BCE
The Epic of Gilgamesh
At the time beer had a huge impact on literature. One example of this that had a big impact at the time was The Epic of Gilgamesh. This piece of literature is about a Sumerian king who was barbaric and uneducated until he became accustomed to beer and bread. -
2200 BCE
Beer and Priests
Priests used beer to their advantage by collecting it as a tax and paying for things with it as well. Priests often used temples to store grain that beer was made from. -
2100 BCE
Beer and medicine
Beer, along with herbs and spices, was used as a medical tool for the Mesopotamian s and Egyptians. Egyptians had huge belief in the after-life so important people at the time were often buried with beer. Beer was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen who was buried around 1335 BC. Even though that is not a tradition today beer is still toasted for certain occasions or peoples health. -
2100 BCE
Early Beer
Beer really encouraged early civilizations to flourish. Beer was used as medicine, encouraged writing, and was used as forms of payment. The grain used in beer also helped farmers flourish. -
870 BCE
King Ashurnasirpal
Around 870 BCE King Ashurbanipal of Assyria marked the inauguration of the new Capital at Nimrud by having an extravagant ten day feast. His people were impressed that not only beer but more importantly wine was being served. Wine was expensive and hard to get at the time. Because of this event wine became something people drunk when wanted to show their wealth and prosperity. -
632 BCE
Wine in Christianity
Wine is an important part of Christianity because during the last supper in the bible Jesus uses wine to symbolize his blood being shed and bread to symbolize his body. During communion in church today and during the fall of Rome, the tradition of using wine to symbolize His blood is still alive. -
632 BCE
Wine in Islam
Wine was believed to be a threat to the Islamic faith because of the impact it had on Christianity. Muhammad believed it was wrong to drink to excess because of the way it made people act however later in history it was seem as okay to drink a lighter version of wine made with fig. -
87 BCE
Marcus Antonius
During this time in history wine was a way to show your status and wealth in Rome. Marcus Antonius was a Roman politician who was in hiding at the time. The man who's house he was hiding in decided to send his slave to get him some wine for Antonius however the slave figured he was expected to get a fine wine. The seller was suspicious and this fine wine would up getting Antonius in trouble, found, and killed. -
1386
Charles II of Navarre and Distilled Wine
Charles II of Navarre was on his deathbed when a new form of medicine was administered to him, Aqua Vitae or distilled wine. It was highly flammable and not the safest form of a medicine. Like many medications at the time, it didn't always work. -
1500
Tea and the Silk Road
Japan and India traded tea along the Silk Road and became the staple drink not beer or wine. It supposedly had many medical properties which made it very popular. It would soon make it way to Europe. -
1543
Coffee in the Scientific Revolution
Similar to the way coffee played a role in the French Revolution, it also had an impact on the Scientific Revolution. Important people would get together in coffee houses to have important talks because coffee was the perfect medium between bland water and alcohol that would get them drunk. -
Spirits in Early America
In early America spirit were drunk along with water because those were the only drinks colonists were able to get their hands on.It was also very inexpensive so the colonists were able to get it easier -
Coffee and Trade
Coffee came from all over the world and was very important in the trade world and Arab world. Trading became very popular and made a lot of places money. -
Spirits and Slavery
Spirits were common during slave trade and was used as a type of currency at the time. Slaves were also given a ration of spirits most likely so they were able to do more back breaking work. -
Coffee in the Financial Revolution
Coffee played an important role in the financial revolution because important men would trade stock over coffee not wine or water. One of the largest insurance company began in a coffee shop. -
Spirits and Sailors
Similar to the way Egyptians used beer in medicine, British sailors used spirits as a way to get vitamin C so that they were able to prevent scurvy. This was able to lessen the death of sailors while traveling and made trips more successful. -
Spirits in the American Revolution
During the American Revolution, Britain taxed molasses which was a main ingredient used in rum. Rum had gotten more expensive because of the tax, similar to tea people got upset and decided to fight back. -
Boston Tea Party
Tea played an important role in the Revolution around 1775-83 because at the time Britain had imposed a tax on it to pay the East India Company. The colonists got so aggravated with the tax that on December 16, 1773 a group of them named them decided to destroy thousands of pounds of tea by dumping it overboard on three different ships. The outcome of that protest was that the Boston port was shut down until all the tea was paid for. -
Coffee Houses and the French Revolution
Coffee houses played an important role in the French Revolution. Men got together to discuss issues that were important to them over coffee, these meetings sometimes led to change. The poor people had decided enough was enough over a cup of coffee and decided to start a political revolution. -
Tea and the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution had a huge impact on tea. People like Wedgewood and Twining began to pop up, companies that are still around today. -
Tea and Politics
Surprisingly enough tea played an important role in politics and the economy at the time. Britain used tea to show their power by taxing it and trading it. -
Why didn't people like coffee houses?
Some people were not huge fans of coffee house especially people of power. People were worried the ideas coming out of them were too radical. Muslims did not like coffee because of similar reasons as to why they did not like wine. -
Spirits and Sugar
Spirits were able to be created cheaply and easily while beer and wine were not. Molasses had a huge part in the African slave trade which is what spirits were made of. -
Tea and the Opium War
Opium was often traded between China and Britain and the money that was made was used to buy tea. This quickly turned political because of the huge power Britain had and started the Opium war. -
Creation of Coca-Cola
Coca- Cola was originally created as a "miracle" medicine that could cure a variety of things and was made with Kola plant. It became highly successful and went on to become one of America's favorite drinks. -
World War 2
Coca-Cola meant a lot to soldiers during World War 2, to them it embodied America's values. The very reason American soldiers loved it was exactly why both Germany and Japan despised it -
The Cold War
It was not only America that took a liking to Coca-Cola, important people in other countries appreciated it too. The Soviet Unions best military leader had a strange request for Coca-Cola, he wanted a colorless version that resembled the traditional Russian drink, vodka. He ended up getting his wish granted and Coca-Cola shipped out clear soda with a red soviet star on the bottle. -
Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola
Pepsi and Coca-Cola have had a long history of not liking each other but they especially were not too fond of each other when Pepsi was able to infiltrated the Arab world while Coca-Cola was not allowed to sell there. Coca-Cola was not liked there because people thought they were anit-semitic and decided to boycott them. -
Coca-Cola going International
While Coca-Cola was huge in America, it's higher ups wanted to expand and go international. Their new motto became " Think global, act global."
