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10,000 BCE
Shift to Modern Civilization
As the last ice age ended, a shift from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to modern civilization occurred. People began to settle down in cities and farm, rather than hunt for their food. Many new technologies were created such as pottery, the wheel, and writing. In addition of these, beer was developed from wheat and barley and became the center of society. -
9000 BCE
Start Farming in the Fertile Crescent
At this time, farming began in the Fertile Crescent. People began to grow wheat and barley, rather than just gathering wild grains. There are many theories as to why this began, but one states that farming was adopted because of beer. As beer grew more popular for social gatherings and religious events, the need for grains such as wheat and barley increased. This increase is believed to have influenced the need for farming. -
3400 BCE
Earliest Written Documents
The earliest written documents were made in the city of Uruk on small, flat clay tablets. On these tablets, symbols were drawn in rectangular compartments. These tablets often contained knowledge about food and beer, including dozens of brewing terms and food portions. -
2737 BCE
Beginning of the Reign of Shen Nung
The beginning of the reign of China's second emperor, Shen Nung, brought many important discoveries that would shape history for future civilizations. The emperor was believed to have invented agriculture, the plow, medicinal herbs, and tea. There are also many legends discussing how Nung discovered tea, including a gust of wind carrying tea leaves into his pot. -
2700 BCE
First Piece of Literature
The Epic Of Gilgamesh became the earliest known piece of literature. The story was about the Sumerian king Gilgamesh, who ruled at the timed, his friend Enkidu, and a young woman who introduced Enkidu to civilization. Enkidu was a wild man until he ate bread and beer, which transformed him into a civilized man who is welcome in the city of Uruk. This demonstrates the Mesopotamian's belief that bread and beer distinguish savages from civilized people. -
2500 BCE
Construction of the Pyramids
The construction of the pyramids in Egypt took place at this time. The workers who built the pyramid, as well as managers and officials, were payed with beer and bread. A worker would typically be given three to four loaves of bread and two jugs of beer, and managers and officials would receive more. These wages were seen as tokens of prosperity and well-being in Egypt, since they were necessities of life. -
870 BCE
King Ashurnasirpal II
King Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria held one of the greatest feasts of all time in honor of his new capital, Nimrud. This feast was attended by 69,574 people and lasted ten days. Thousands of each type of meat were served, as well as ten thousand jars of beers and ten thousand skins of wine. The serving of wine was especially significant due to it being a very expensive delicacy usually only served by the wealthy. Because of this and other Assyrian propaganda, wine became a symbol of wealth. -
424 BCE
Peloponnesian War
Vineyards became a target of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta due to wine trade. The Spartans arrived in Macedonia's city of Acanthus just before the wine harvest. Since Macedonia was allied with Athens, the locals decided to switch alliances to Sparta so their grapes would remain unharmed. -
146 BCE
Rome Becomes the Most Powerful Mediterranean Empire
At this time, Rome became the most powerful Mediterranean empire. This was due to the defeat of both Carthage in northern Africa and Corinth in Greece. At this time, Rome also overpowered Greece as the largest producer of wine. Rome used Greece's wine-making techniques and copied some of their most popular wines, similar to how they used many other aspects of Greek culture. -
87 BCE
Fall of Marcus Antonius
In 87 BCE, the fall of Marcus Antonius, a Roman politician, took place. Antonius hid from general Gaius Marius in the house of someone from a lower social status while Marius hunted down the supporters of his rival. However, this caused Antonius's downfall because his host sent a servant to buy wine for their guest, and the servant revealed the guest's identity to be Antonius. This caused Marcus Antonius to be beheaded by a commanding officer. -
1 BCE
Rome Becomes the Most Populated City
Rome becomes the most populated city in the world at one million people. This is because subsistence farming could not produce enough wine, causing wine production to turn to farming on large estates. These estates caused rural farmers to move to the city, increasing the population. -
1386
Death of King Charles II of Navarre
One winter night, King Charles II of Navarre (northern Spain) fell ill with a fever and paralysis. To cure him, his doctors decided to use distilled wine, otherwise known as aqua vitae. Hoping to cure his paralysis, they covered the king in sheets that were soaked in the medicinal alcohol. However, the sheets caught on fire due to a candle and the king was burned to death. -
1430
Invention of the Printing Press
The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg. One of the first books printed was a book about distillation in 1478, written by Michael Puff von Schrick. The Austrian doctor claimed that half a spoon of aqua vitae every morning could prevent illness, and if a dying person drank a small amount of aqua vitae he/she could speak once more. By 1500, fourteen editions had been created due to popularity. -
1493
Slave Trade
During Columbus's second trip to the New World, he brought sugarcane from the Canary Islands with him. He also brought over a total of eleven million slaves from Africa over the course of four centuries in order to produce more sugarcane. To get these slaves, European slave traders gave African slavers brandy in exchange for slaves. This is because the Africans wanted alcohol and brandy was easier to pack into small spaces on ships and it preserved for longer. -
Death of Oliver Cromwell
After the death of English ruler Oliver Cromwell, there was a wealth of political debate over restoring the monarchy. During this time, supporters of Charles II met in coffeehouses to discuss current events. William Coventry, an advisor of the king, stated that the king may not have ruled if it hadn't been for the coffeehouse gatherings. -
Marriage of Charles II to Catherine of Braganza
At the time of the marriage of Charles II of England to Catherine of Braganza, a dowry was customary when giving a bride to her husband. When the daughter of King John IV of Portugal married Charles II, her dowry was the Tangier and Bombay trading posts of Portugal, Portuguese trading rights, a fortune of gold, and a chest of tea. This marriage made tea fashionable in England since Catherine drank tea often. -
Accession of King Charles II
King Charles II declared the suppression of coffeehouses due to "evil and dangerous effects". However, the people of England became upset because coffeehouses had become apart of London's culture. In order to maintain the government's authority, the king attempted to tax coffee sellers if they wanted to stay in business and make them swear to an oath, but it didn't work. The king could not stop the culture of coffee, and it played a role in his accession to the throne. -
Publication of Issac Newton's Book
Issac Newton published his book, "Principia", after Halley inspired him. This happened due to a coffeehouse discussion three years prior between Hooke, Halley, and Wren. They discussed the gravitational effect on planetary orbit, but none of them could prove it. Halley visited Newton and asked him the same questions and Newton could not prove it either. Newton discovered that an inverse-square law of gravity implied elliptical planetary orbit, and went on to make many important discoveries. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was passed at the end of the French and Indian War. After the war, Britain was in debt. Since the colonists had continued to trade with France during the war, Britain decided to strengthen the Molasses Act to raise revenues. Now, the sixpence-per-gallon duty on molasses (that was used for rum) would be collected in full instead of half. This angered the colonists, causing the slogan "no taxation without representation" and the formation of the Sons of Liberty. -
Beginning of Industrialization in England
When the first spinning mill opened, Britain became the first nation to begin industrialization. Now, workers had to work all day without a break because the factories did not stop. Because of this, tea became a favored drink of the Industrial Revolution. The caffeine in tea kept workers awake and alert while on the job. Therefore, tea helped to keep factories running smoothly. -
Founding of the Society of Lloyds
The Society of Lloyds was founded after a meeting in a coffeehouse run by Edward Lloyd. The coffeehouse was most commonly visited by ship captains, ship owners, and merchants, and soon became a meetingplace for those who insured their ships. Some underwriters began to rent booths there, and seventy-nine of them established the insurance company, which is now called Lloyd's of London and is the world's leading insurance market. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Tea Act was passed to pay off Britain's debt from the French and Indian War, as well as lower the import duty for both Britain and America. Company officials thought that the colonists would be grateful for the price reduction of tea, but that was not so. The colonists boycotted British goods and resented the government. As a reaction to this, protesters dressed up as Indians and raided ships in the Boston harbor, dumping tea overboard. This was a major cause of the Revolutionary War. -
Paul Revere's Midnight Ride
After the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Paul Revere made his midnight ride from Boston to Lexington. On his way to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the British, he stopped at Issac Hall's tavern for a rum toddy, which consisted of rum, sugar, and water. -
Start of the French Revolution
The French Revolution began at the Cafe de Foy. As crowds gathered nearby at the Palais Royal, revolutionaries belived that the army would massacre the crowd. Camille Desmoulins, a young lawyer, jumped on a table outside the cafe with a gun and yelled, "To arms, citizens! To arms!", causing Paris to be flooded with chaos. Two days later, an angry mob stormed Bastille. -
The Opium War
The Opium War between China and Britain began due to the East India Company not wanting to pay for tea from the Chinese in silver. Since silver was too expensive, they traded illegal opium to corrupt Chinese merchants in exchange for tea. However, Commissioner Lin Tze-su stopped opium trade by burning British and Chinese opium and arresting both parties. This caused a brawl where two British soldiers killed a Chinese man, and Lin expelled the British from the Canton estuary, starting the war. -
Prohibition of Alcohol
Atlanta and Fulton County in Georgia attempted to prohibit alcohol for two years. At this time, John Pemberton decided to produce a nonalcoholic drink and remedy to take its place. He combined coca leaves and kola nuts, along with sugar, to create a medicinal soda-water. After the two year prohibition had ended, Coca-Cola was already extremely popular. -
The Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act, or "Dr. Wiley's Law", was passed by Harvey Washington Wiley when he was concerned about the danger of giving quack remedies to children. As a result of this, Coca-Cola was put on trial because it contained caffeine. Since caffeine was a drug, it was unclear whether or not it was safe for children. After multiple pieces of evidence were looked at, it was decidedly safe. -
Eisenhower's Allied Campaign
Dwight D. Eisenhower oversaw the allied campaign in North Africa. While he was there, he sent a telegram in which he asked for three million bottles of Coca-Cola with the equipment to produce the same amount twice monthly. After six months, there were production lines in North Africa. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
After decades of feud between the East and West, the Berlin Wall collapsed. This marked the beginning of the fall of communism in eastern Europe. East Germans were greeted with gifts as they entered west Berlin, including Coca-Cola. People waited in long lines to buy their Coca-Cola, and it became one of the most purchased items by the citizens of east Berlin. -
The Iraq War
During the Iraq War, anti-Americanism became strong in the Middle East. Coca-Cola sales were suspended due to protests, and Muslim children poured the beverage on the ground to show opposition to American invasion. At this time, many other cola brands were invented in the Middle East. However, Coca-Cola was still loved by many other regions of the world.
