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10,001 BCE
End of last Ice Age
The end of the last ice age brought with many things. Including, an area known as the Fertile Crescent which stretches from modern day Egypt to Iraq. This fertility provided a prime location from animals such as wild sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs. But it also resulted in dense areas of wild wheat and barley. The vast amount of natural resources in the Fertile Crescent created a area where humans first took up farming and the Neolithic Revolution began. -
10,000 BCE
Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Revolution was a complete change in the way humans lived. Instead of constantly moving and taking advantage of seasonal sources of food, humans began to settle and create civilizations. With this change, came things such as the domestication of crops. This included cereal grains which are a key ingredient for beer. -
10,000 BCE
Discovery of Cereal Grain Properties
When humans first began storing cereal grains there were not many ways to make the areas they were stored in completely watertight. This allowed for water to reach the grain and turn the starch inside the grain into maltose sugar. When gruel was made out of the wet grain and let to sit for multiple days, it became fizzy and pleasantly intoxicating. This caused the creation of beer. But what made beer different than wine was it's ease of creation and storage of grains. -
9000 BCE
Creation of Food a Food Surplus
The creation of food surpluses made a major change within civilizations. It allowed some people to not produce food for a living and specialize in other crafts. This change in occupations set humanity on path to the way it is today. -
6000 BCE
Grain Became a Vital part of The Global Economy
Throughout the world cereal grains were commonly used as a form of currency. This was mainly because their unique qualities. Such as that they can be stored for long periods, be turned into beer, and can be turned into bread. This can be seen when the pyramids of Egypt were build where an average worker would be paid 3 or 4 loaves of bread and 2 jugs of beer. -
870 BCE
King Ashurbanipal's Feast
When King Ashurbanipal hosted one of the worlds largest feasts, it was to show off his great wealth and power. At his feast he served 10,000 skins of wine which in Mesopotamia was a rare drink because the price of bringing it from the mountains. This feast assisted in making wine a symbol of the wealthy, -
700 BCE
Switch from Substance to Industrial Farming
With the rise of cultivating vines for wine, came the spread of industrial farming. Many people realized that by growing vines they could make more money and buy more grain than they could grow themselves. This elevated value of vines and wine made it one of Greece's main exports. In some areas the change was so dramatic grain had to be imported to keep an acquitted supply. -
550 BCE
Philosophers Lay the Foundations of Western Thought
In the 5th and 6th centuries BCE Greek philosophers laid the foundations of western thought. This included legal systems, laws, politics, and science. But in the middle of the Greek society was wine, which was available to everyone no matter their job or position in society. -
500 BCE
Spread of Greek Culture Through Wine
As Greece increased it's wine production to an industrial level, it's exports continued to rise. Greek wine became known as some of the world's finest wines. With this mindset Greek culture spread across the world and even served as a base for later Roman Society. -
410 BCE
Fall of the Roman Empire
As Rome fell to the Germanic tribe, The Visigoths. As the empire crumbled many aspects of its culture did as well. But just like with Greece wine survived and even became a part of the different tribes that would come to rule the Mediterranean. -
800
Improved Techniques of Distillation
The art of distillation has been around since the times of Mesopotamia. But an Arab Scholar Jabir ibn Hayyan had greatly improved upon former techniques. This improved the distilled liquids that many other chemists around the world would use. This made people recognize him as one of the fathers of chemistry. -
1279
Fall of the Sung Dynasty
When the Sung Dynasty fell, so did tea's popularity in China. But with the fall of tea came the rise of koumiss. Koumiss was a drink that was made of mare's milk then fermented. -
1368
Ming Dynasty
When the Mongolian empire fell, the Ming Dynasty took it's place. The Ming Dynasty put tea back in an important role in Chinese society. When tea came back into power, its preparation and consumption became more elaborate. -
1450
Use of Spirits Changes
Spirits were thought to have had medicinal uses to cure almost any illness. But people realized that by distilling wine or beer, it made it more intoxicating. These new concentrated drinks were recognized around the world and were given different names such as whiskey and Brandy -
1493
Spirits Being Used for Trade
When Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1493 he did not find many of the resources that he was expecting. But he did notice that the environment was suitable to grow sugar cane. As this business grew and more people traveled to the Americas, the amount of slaves brought there increases as well. To buy slaves from Africa many merchants would trade goods. One of the most valuable goods was strong alcoholic drinks. -
The Use of Tea as Currency
Unlike many other forms of currency, as tea got farther away from cities and larger civilizations, it gained value. This special quality about tea helped it spread around the globe and become a staple of English life. The largest supplier of tea to England was the British East India Company. Company was given so much power by the king, that it was able to form and use it's own army. -
Tea Becomes a Staple of England
As tea quickly took power over coffee in England, scientists did not really know what effects tea had on the human body. But eventually the amount of scientists who supported it outweighed the amount against it. As the demand for tea grew, the East India Company made a monopoly out of the market and became one of the most powerful companies in history. -
Coffee Spreads Throughout Europe
Although coffee was used earlier in the middle east, it was not until the 1660s. The introduction brough great change to Europe with coffee houses pooping up all over. This was mainly because of coffee's physical effects. Coffee had the ability to make people more focused and alert, almost the opposite of what beer and wine did. -
The Spread of Knowledge Through Coffee Houses
Ideas and knowledge were constantly being spread through coffee houses. Some coffee houses even had a runner that would go to other coffee house and share news. This can be seen when Royal Society began meeting in coffee houses. -
Publication of Issac Newton’s Mathmatical Principles of Natural Philosophy.
In 1687 Issac Newton published the book Mathmatical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Many of the ideas that are presented in this book were discussed in a coffee house with Halley. This book described his theories of gravity. It also explained how gravity effects the orbit of planets. These ideas were so revolutionary that it placed Issac Newton as one of the greatest scientists in history. -
Rum Becomes North American Colonist's Favorite Drink
As more and more colonists went to North America a lot of them complained of a lack of alcohol. This was because the price and lack of availability of beer and wine. But when Colonists began to make rum that was mainly supplied by French molasses for a low price, they loved it. This was such a large part of the Colonies, that rum accounted for eighty percent of New England's exports. -
The Discovery of Fixed Air's (Carbon Dioxide) Properties
In 1767 an English clergyman and scientist named Joseph Priestley set up his lab inside of a brewery in order to study the gasses that came out of the fermentation vats. In his studies he learned that the gas known as fixed air was heavier than air and could be dissolved in water. This discovery let to the sodas and other artificially carbonated drinks to spread across the world. -
Boston Tea Party
As England kept on taxing the colonies in order to pay off debts from the French and Indian War, they put a tax on tea. These taxes were part of the many things that angered many colonists and pushed them to declare independence from England. As an act of defiance, in 1773 in Boston harbor colonists dressed as Native Americans dumped tea into the harbor. -
French Revolution
in 1789 Camille Desmoulins gave a speech outside a coffee house that some say started the French Revolution. But this speech was started by the discussions about politics and equality inside coffee houses. -
The "Whiskey Boys"
In 1794 when America was looking for ways to pay off it's war debts the federal government decided to up a excise duty on distilled drinks. This angered many Americans and reminded them of the taxes forced upon them while under British rule. To respond to this a group of 6,000 men gathered under the command of William Miller and was going to separate from the United States. -
The Spread of Patented Medicines
After the Civil War many pharmacists were creating their own syrups to mix with soda water. But it was not just syrups, there were pills, oils, and many other forms of medicines. Although many of these were ineffective, they were publicized to be maricle drugs by the newspapers. Many of these pharmacists took advantage of many veterans who were in distrust of commercial medicines, leading to their immense sales and profits. -
Creation of Coca Cola
In 1886 a man named John Pemberton, a pharmacist who lived in Atlanta Georgia created a drink consisting of coca, cola, and other ingredients. He thought that the two c's would look good on labels and advertising and named his drink Coca Cola. Originally Coca Cola was sold as a syrup that would be sent to fountains across the state then eventually across the nation. But after giving the rights to bottle Coca Cola to -
America Joins World War ll
On December 7th 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy committed an unprovoked carrier based attack on Pearl Harbor. That same day the United States of America declared war on Japan, beginning the process of turning America into a global superpower. -
Coca Cola Spreads Throughout the World
As America power and influence spread across the world through both war and peace, so did Coca Cola. During World War ll the American Soldiers, Airman, and Sailors who were overseas requested Coca Cola to boost morale. Coca Cola responded by making factories and bottling plants overseas to supply American Armed Forces wherever they went. After the war many of these factories and bottling plants remained and continued to spread Coca Cola around the rest of the world. -
Coffee Houses in the Modern World
Today, many coffee houses are evolving. But they are not moving far from their roots of spreading information. They are doing this more than ever with the help of the internet. Many coffee houses today are equipped with WiFi and other sources of information to keep us informed.
