-
3900 BCE
The Impact of Beer on Farming
Farming became very valuable and essential for most while living in the Fertile Crescent. For many, it was the only way to earn money. There had to be as much grain available as possible to ensure that everyone who wanted beer could receive it. Farming was socially important and there was less people living a nomadic lifestyle. Instead, they starting to stay in one area. Beer impacted this civilization in a positive way and help to create farming (pgs.20-21). -
3400 BCE
The Drink of the Civilized Man
In a region in southern Mesopotamia a beer drinking passage was written about Enkidu (Epic of Gilgamesh). He drank beer and ate bread which carried on for many years after. Drinking beer and eating bread became socially acceptable and important for ones social status. It was said that once someone drank beer and ate bread that they became human. Also, that they became civilized within the community (pgs.26-27). -
3200 BCE
The Origins of Writing
The Sumerians used the sign for beer many times on tax receipts and a form of a receipt for wage lists. The sign for beer was very popular. Writing was invented to record people receiving/giving out beer, grain, bread, and other goods. Communication became important to everyone's daily life and beer played a partial role in the discovery of writing (pgs.30-31). -
2500 BCE
Using Beer as Currency
The Egyptians used beer for drinking and to pay the public. Paying the public caused the beer to be taxed just like barely, wheat, and other goods. One sila was about the same as one liter of beer. The lowest member of the social hierarchy received one sila. As members social status increased the amount of sila they recieved increased. The highest members were the highest officials who got five sila. Overall, beer had many uses (35-37). -
1550 BCE
Where it all Began
The Fertile Crescent was the beginning for the earliest civilizations. There were many firsts attached to the Fertile Crescent such as that was where farming started, where the earliest civilizations began, where beer was the most plentiful, where writing first became popular way to communicate, and it had the best climate conditions for grain cultivation to prosper. Beer helped cultivate social gatherings from its beginning in the Fertile Crescent to the present day (pg.39). -
870 BCE
Wealth Grown on Trees
In Northern Mesopotamia, King Ashurnasirpal the second of Assyria had a great feast. He was a very wealthy man. That's relevant when he made his own wine and beer to serve to his seventy thousand guests at the feast. Wine was high priced and only the most wealthy people drank it. Ashurnasirpal created an environment where many people could drink wine and he spread the drink to many areas (pgs.45-46). -
870 BCE
The New Beer
In the near East and Eastern Mediterranean, wine started to become a religious and social beverage. Around this time wine began to be traded by sea. Everyone was trying to think of the cheapest ways to transport wine to create less taxes and tolls. All of this helped to ensure that wine was becoming a widespread drink. Many desired to drink wine, instead of beer because it was the new way to be socially acceptable (pgs. 47-51). -
425 BCE
The Cradle of Western Thought
In Greece, wine was used as currency. Wine was equivalent to a shekel of silver. This was hard to receive, so the middle and high class people were more apt. to get this. Wine started to become a main target for the Peloponesian war. Lot's of money was lost during this time because Vineyards were burned and trampled (pgs.54-55). -
400 BCE
An Invitation to Symposia
In Greece, people drank wine at formal drinking parties called symposia. At symposia poetry, whit, or rhetoric was often discussed and playfully competed. The civilians who were invited to these occasions were civilized, rich, powerful, and accepted within the community. Barbarians were considered people who drank unsophisticated beer, drank little, or didn't know much about wine, but still drank it. Barbarians were often frowned upon and were not invited to symposia (pg.51). -
300 BCE
The Road to Truth and Romance
Many people used wine as a gateway to romance. Conversation was easily made while drinking wine. Many conversations were about romance. Wine brought out peoples real personality and ones true self. How someone truly acted was revealed when wine came into there life. Overall, wine was extremely important in the romantic and truthful lifestyle (pgs.62-63). -
Oct 13, 780
Tea as Currency
Tea's impact was more related to economics. Tea was often used as currency in the form of bricks. Ideally it could be used to provide a light and compact store of value that could be consumed (if need be). In most remote areas tea started to increase in value. Using tea as currency helped countries to become wealthier and more successful as well. As this was going on paper money started to decrease meaning less people used it. It became less important in society (pg.180). -
1510
Coffee Today
Coffee had a drastic impact on human society, trade, and the social aspect of life.That is all true for the present as well as the past. All of the trading countries did in the past helped lead up to the widespread consumption of coffee today. Coffee still remains a social drink just like it did in the past. People develop and discuss ideas. They also exchange information and ideas (pg.171). -
Jun 19, 1510
Social Drink
Coffee started as a social drink that was sold on the street and that escalated to coffee being sold in coffeehouses. Coffeehouses became a social aspect of life. Many people enjoyed going to a coffeehouse to gossip, debate about politics, rumor, and there was satirical discussion. It was also very popular to go and play games such as chess and backgammon (pgs.138-139). -
The Preferred Drink, Coffee
Coffee advanced clarity and sharpness of thought. Intellectuals scientists, clerks, and merchants preferred to drink coffee. This drink helped people stay awake. people felt they had a smarter way of thinking when they drank coffee, that they experienced self-improvement, debate, and that there was more polite conversation happening (pgs.134-135). -
Enlightenment Movement
Scientists applied there skills to politics, philosophy, and religion. It was during the Age of Reason that philosophers pushed past the information about ancients and moved towards the Age of Exploration. With this it brought tolerance, freedom, disapproval, and freedom of thought. Coffee became a social drink that would spur conversation which would continue the enlightening ideas (pg.134). -
Brewing Trade
Every country depended on the Middle East for coffee. The Europeans were worried about leaning on the Middle East. The Dutch decided to take control and start growing their own coffee beans.Years later they were given the privilege of coffee trade. The coffee trade business became very popular. The European countries decided to grow coffee beans as well. For example, the French started growing coffee beans (pgs.148-150). -
North American Colonists' Favorite Drink
During the seventeenth century rum was created from leftover molasses, instead of expensive wine. Rum was much cheaper because it didn't have to be shipped across the Atlantic. Rum was a strong drink. The North American Colonists' favored this drink It helped provide a liquid form of central heating in brutal winters, helped hardship, and decreased the colonists' dependence on imports that came from Europe. Rum was normally "drunk neat by the poor" (pg.115). -
The Expense of Tea
Tea was ideal for high value and scarcity. The amount on one ton of tea could possibly be worth many years of wages. The amount per pound of lesser teas was a pound. If a family wasn't wealthy they could have an annual income of around twenty pounds. Tea couldn't become globalized because it was still too expensive. It remained to be for wealthier people who could afford it (pg.191-192). -
A Helpful Hand
New Industrial methods like running plantations were introduced. It was new and popular to run plantations like they were "tea factories." Automating most or as much of the process as possible was said to help the end product. In some countries, imperialism and industrialism would help the other out. The cultivation of tea was a positive influence in the society at this time (pg.214). -
Molasses Act
The Sugar Act enforced and helped the Molasses Act. There was a sixpence-per gallon duty on Molasses that was halfed. The government moved toward the collection being full. Customs officers were also not allowed to be in Britain while other people collected duties for them. Colonial governors were told to be strict about these laws. They should arrest smugglers and the Royal Navy was given permission to collect duties in America (pg.119). -
Rums Impact on Slavery
As slavery impacted the majority of Europe and the Western world there was extra strong rum just used for slave currency. This impacted some of the world because slavery occurred in more than one state and country. Rum was consumed at a fast rate. Four American gallons per year for each person in the colonies (pg.117). -
Using Rum as an Advantage
Rum became an played an important role in history. Especially, in George Washington's election to Virginia's local assembly (the House of Burgesses in 1758). During this time the campaign team used rum to lure people to vote for George Washington. They gave out fifty gallons of rum punch and twenty-eight gallons of rum (pg.118). -
The Industrial Revolution
Manufacturing was adopted and new/popular to the people. Large groups of workers were brought together in factories to labor for hours. The tireless labor-saving machines were worked by steam engines which tested human skill and effort. The Industrial Revolution gave people jobs and helped them earn some money. It went on for a long period of time (1760-1840). This created an environment for people to succeed with the new manufacturing tools (pgs.175-176). -
Sugar Act
At the end of the French and Indian War Britain was held the power of dominance of the North American continent. That left Britain in a lot of public debt. It was said that the war was fought for the colonists' in America, but the British government thought that they should help foot the bill. Many figured out that the colonists' decided to continue to trade with there enemy during the war (pg.119). -
The Popularity of Smuggling
Many decided to smuggle tea into the American and British colonies. In Britain, smuggling tea was less money than legal tea., Smugglers didn't pay custom duties. For America, the colonists decided to smuggle tea from the Netherlands because they didn't want to pay taxes in principle. As smuggling increased, the sales for legal tea decreased/ The company ended up drowning in stockpiles (pgs.203-204). -
The Rise of Industrial Production
Britain and the U.S. expanded their knowledge by approaching Industrial Production. The U.S. decided to go a different route and go farther than others. They separated manufacturing from assembly. Americans started with guns, improved sewing machines, cars bicycles, and more. This helped to make mass production and mass marketing of consumer goods possible. Mass marketing of consumer goods and mass production soon became important in the life of an American during the 19th century (pg.223-224). -
Expansion of Soda
Soda-water began to be industrialized. John Matthews was a veteran of the British soda-water trade. Eventually, he moved to New York. He wanted his main focus to be selling his own soda-water. That graduated to selling soda fountains which led to specialized machinery to automate all aspects of soda-water and the business. The business grew towards specialized machinery because of John Matthews son. He advanced from carbonation to bottle washing. He made profit by selling to firms (231-232). -
A Refreshing Drink
People all around the world became thirsty during the day. Campaigns went out that gave everyone a positive outlook and that made people cheerful. The campaigns went from sad (about illness) to joyful (about having a refreshing drink). Coca Cola was very much against a tax that was issued on Coca Cola. By this time it was a refreshing drink, but because it had been a medicine it was argued that Coca Cola should be taxed. The company fought until the death, ending up with the victory (pg.242). -
Overcoming Challenges
During the 1930's many obstacles were approaching Coca Cola. There was the end of Prohibition, the Great Depression, and the stock market crashed right before this in 1929. PepsiCo had become there biggest and strongest competitor. Once Prohibition ended in 1933 Coca Cola was predicted to decrease in sales due to alcohol being on the market again. Coca Cola tried to become a drink where people would be happy while consuming it and be in a better mood just by drinking it (pg.246-247). -
Coca Cola's Impact on World War ll
Coca Cola was being shipped all over the world to troops fighting in the war. Shipping capacity became in issue, so to resolve this special bottling plants and soda fountains were built in military bases. "Coca-Cola colonels" were very important around this time as well because they established around sixty-four military bottling plants all over the world. They also served around ten billion drinks. The troops appreciated all the positivity this drink brought into their lives (pg.252-253).
