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10,000 BCE
Nomadic settlements in the Fertile Crescent
Nomadic lives were of constant movement, going from one temporary shelter to the next. However, within the Fertile Crescent, the discovery of food grains being able to be preserved persuaded the nomads to start settling in one place. These grains also had a purpose in the creation of a new beverage, beer. Beer was a pleasantly intoxicating beverage that helped ease nomads into a more settled and sophisticated lifestyle. -
9000 BCE
Survival of Strong Farmers in Mesopotamia and Egypt
As contaminated water led to ill-effects on some of the early people in Mesopotamia and Egypt, some people drunk beer as an alternative. Since it was created using boiling water, it was a cleaner source than regular water. This gave beer-drinking farmers an advantage over non-beer drinking farmers since beer was liquid nourishment with nutritional value when there was a food or water shortage. -
4300 BCE
Urban Revolution in Mesopotamia
Settlers in the earliest civilizations began to band together with their small villages to create larger communities. Some reasons for this could have been a lack of natural boundaries and the distance to trading areas or religious centers. By creating these civilizations, more agriculture could occur as well as an increase in population. A surplus of grain was caused, which proved useful to the growing area. The benefit was that it could be consumed as both a liquid and a solid; bread and beer. -
3000 BCE
Economic beginnings in Egypt and Mesopotamia
Working-status people in Egypt received payments for their hard work in the form of bread and beer. As the rank of status increased, the payment received increased. For example, the lowest-ranking people of the Sumerian temple workforce were issued the equivalent of two American pints a day as their ration. Bread and beer being used as currency began the basis of the earliest economy in these regions, which led to where our economy stands today. -
2500 BCE
Building of the Pyramids in Egypt
The beautiful pyramids that were built on the Giza plateau in Egypt were built by workers under many theories. One theory is that the pyramids were built during the flood season by farmers who had their crops under the water. Another theory, which is now proven wrong by written records, was that the pyramids were built by slaves. It is now known that they were actually built by slave employees who were paid in beer and bread. -
870 BCE
Grand Feast in Assyria
To mark the inauguration of his capital in Nimrud, King Ashurnasirpal II held a large feast. This capital was populated by people from other parts of his empire, and a palace was built in a traditional Mesopotamian fashion. To promote his wealth, the king staged a ten-day feast to celebrate. He impressed his attendants with a lot of food as well as some imported wine from the northeast. Having this expensive and foreign drink at the party showed his guests how excellent he was. -
430 BCE
Wine Trade Along the Tigris and Euphrates
Since wine was thought to be a fun, foreign drink that expressed someone's wealth and status, the idea of wine spread south of Mesopotamia and demand increased. Given the nature of the beverage, it was difficult to transport across the land. Instead, boats and rafts were used to transport wine long distances along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Due to the difficulty of transporting these rafts back upstream, they were usually cut and sold, the cost reflected in the prices of the wine sold. -
300 BCE
Rome's Dependence on Trade with Other Colonies
Subsistence farming in Rome could not keep up with the new and expanding demand for wine, so the production of vines slowly overtook the production of grain. Due to this switch, Rome became dependent on grain imports from African colonies. As Roman rule extended, the demand for wine extended too. Imports came from the southern Nile, northern India, southern Gaul, and Spain, and even as far as Aegean. This created a relationship between Roman civilizations and the other colonies. -
212 BCE
Distinction Between Greek and Roman Lifestyles
After the Greek colony of Syracuse had been invaded by the Romans, the Roman population became larger than the Greeks. However, the Greeks influence on the Romans everyday way of life was surprisingly large. The Greek alphabet and language were used, and even the Roman constitution had been modeled on Greek lines. Yet, wine became the way to separate the seemingly same ways of life. The vine was a prestigious crop for Roman farmers and provided a symbol of civilization to the Romans. -
601
The Invention of Paper Money
The tea merchants of Fujian had to deal with large amounts of money, so paper money was invented to aid the large amount. However, the issue with using paper money at this time was it's value decreased the farther it was taken from the imperial center. Tea in the form of bricks came in handy instead since it's value increased the farther away it went and remains in use in portions of central Asia to the day. -
732
Battle of Tours
The advancing Islamic troops into Europe were stopped and defeated by Charles Martel, who was a Frankish prince. This brought Arab influence into Europe, and the crowning of Martel's grandson began a period of consolidation of European culture. This also generated the distinction of beer and wine between northern and southern Europe. -
1191
Tea Ceremonies in Japan
The Shogun of Japan fell ill during a time when a Buddhist monk, Eisai, brought knowledge of the cultivation of tea to the Chinese and healed him. Tea popularity rose to the point where every level of Japanese society had knowledge by the fourteenth century. An intricate and immense Japanese tea ceremony became a ritual that can last longer than an hour. This formal ceremony leads Japan to the pinnacle of tea culture and shows how one culture can influence the next and spread knowledge. -
1430
Invention of the Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, which allowed once-only handwritten pages to be mass-produced. This allowed news and books to be widespread more efficiently and in large quantities. In 1478, the first printed book about distillation was produced. In that book, the author made claims that aqua vitae had curing powers, which caused it to become a widespread beverage for its supposed benefits and intoxicating powers. -
1500
The Slave Trade
The importation of slaves from Africa to the New world dramatically increased as they received many different products in return like shells, sheets of copper, and textiles. However, the top product in exchange with the slaves was beverages. In particular brandy, since the slaves enjoyed it and its compact shape and high content made it easier to transport on the ships. -
1511
Prohibition and religious controversy in Mecca
In the Islam religion, the consumption of intoxicating beverages was prohibited. The religious prophet Muhammad began this rule when he saw the effects intoxication had on people's overall image. This started back with the production of wine, which raised controversy when the new drink coffee arrived (as to whether it would intoxicate). The prohibition of coffee in Mecca was decided, and controversy over what Muhammad had proclaimed during his time and even beatings of coffee sellers occurred. -
1557
Establishment of a Trading Post in Macao
The Portuguese established a trading post in Macao with the allowance by the Chinese authorities. All goods could be shipped through this, which allowed the Chinese to minimize contact with foreigners. Tea was a product that had been mentioned in European reports in the 1550s but the shipment of it to Europe didn't occur in early trades. When a Dutch ship brought the first delivery of tea to Europe it was regarded as a novelty. -
Sugarcane Plantations in Barbados
English settlers attempted and failed to grow tobacco on the newly inhabited land of Barbados, so they switched to growing sugarcane instead. When sugar trade dominated a decade later, the planters learned how to ferment products of the sugar process and then distill it to make an alcoholic drink. This drink was later refined into a strong drink called rum, which dominated Barbados and eventually spread through the Carribean and beyond. -
Rosee's Banishment from England
Pasqua Rosee was an American servant of an English merchant who set him as a coffee seller. Local taverns became upset with Rosee's success since it was drawing away from their businesses, claiming that he had no right in the business industry since he wasn't even a freeman in the city. This caused Rosee to be kicked out of the country, but the development of coffeehouses had already become widespread. -
Accession of Charles II
After the execution of King Charles I, England coffeehouses began increasing in popularity. Public opinion of restoring the monarchy was prevalent during the rise in coffeehouses, so many political debates were held in these places. William Coventry, who was one of the king's advisors claimed that if it weren't for the coffeehouse gatherings, King Charles II might not have gained the throne. -
Theory of Gravity
Within a coffeehouse between sips of coffee, Hooke, Halley, and Wren discussed the theory of gravity. Halley wondered about elliptical positions and how they were consistent with a gravitational force, and after a heated conversation with Hooke and Wren, he took his thoughts to Newton. Newton worked on the thought and later proved it to Haley, and more discoveries came from this one proof that gravity existed. -
South Sea Bubble Scheme
An investment fraud scheme was hatched in a coffeehouse that was like Garraway's. The collapsing of the scheme left thousands of investors ruined and was deemed a humongous failure in the financial sphere. -
Imperial and Industrial Expansion in Europe
After a loss coming from America's new independence, Britain still managed to expand its influence. New colonies were established in Australia and New Zeland, as well as establishing control of India and Canada. Britain also adopted a new system of manufacturing collectively known as the Industrial Revolution. Also, the widening of European trade with the East was provided by the drink tea, which is closely associated to the English and links the expansion by the Europeans. -
The Sugar Act
At the end of the French and Indian war, British dominance was allowed of the North American continent with one outstanding issue; Britain had enormous debt. Many colonists continued to trade with their new enemy, France, so the government enforced the Molasses Act. Raised revenues instead of regulated trade left Americans unhappy, and New England's rum distillers organized a boycott of British imports. "No taxation without representation" was a popular slogan used during the time by colonists. -
Priestley's Scientific Discovery
Joseph Priestley was able to find a way to dissolve carbon dioxide into water, which was taken as a huge advancement in science as well as drinks. A theory about the new carbonated water was that it was an antiseptic, which would give medicinal benefits. Priestley presented his findings and published a book, and later received the Copley Medal. This led to the beverage Coca-Cola being invented and becoming the largest drink company in America. -
The Boston Tea Party
Smuggling of tea reduced the sales of legal tea, which led to the government issuing the Tea Act. However, the Tea Act caused a great crisis because many American colonists relied on trade without interference. British goods were boycotted and they refused to pay tax to the London government. When ships arrived at America with cargoes of tea, the colonists wouldn't allow them to unload the cargo. One group of protestors, dressed up as Mohawk Indians, tipped 342 tea chests into the Boston Harbor. -
Fleets at Trafalgar
Scurvy was a disease caught by many people at sea back in the eighteenth century caused by a lack of vitamin C. An easy way to prevent scurvy was to take regular doses of lemon and lime juice, which was found in grog. The British navy drank grog, so their resistance to scurvy increased. However, the opposite was true for the French navy. This aided in Britain's defeat of the French and Spanish fleets in Trafalgar since they had an advantage of health and performance during the battles. -
Atlanta's Prohibition
On July 1, Atlanta and Fulton County decided to prohibit the sale of alcohol for a two-year trial period. People became temperamental and didn't know what to drink to tie them over until the end of the movement, which happened to be the same time Pemberton refined his soda-water formula. Coca-Cola was created by Pemberton and by the end of the experimented Prohibition in November 1887, Coca-Cola was a hit. -
Patent Medicine Taxation
The imposing of a tax on patent medicines caused quick-remedy items to be pushed away by civilians. Coca-Cola was originally claimed to be a patent medicine that cured headaches and other small symptoms but was quickly turned into just a refreshing drink when the tax was made. -
"The United States v. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola"
Harvey Washington Wiley was a government scientist who campaigned enough to enact the Pure Food and Drug Act. he also put the drink Coca-Cola on a trial that lasted a month. He believed that it was dangerous that parents were unaware of Coca-Cola's caffeine content and that children shouldn't drink the product. However, the court sided with Coca-Cola, since the name accurately reflects the fact that caffeine is in the drink from kola. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
America had planned on keeping itself isolated from European conflicts, until December 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. This brought America into World War II and ended its isolationism forever. As armed forces were sent, Coca-Cola went as well. The drink became linked to patriotism and servicemen began to link it to their home lifestyle as well. -
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