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9000 BCE
Deliberate farming of barley and wheat begins.
As the human race was switching from a hunter-gathering lifestyle to a more stationary lifestyle, the deliberate cultivation of barley and wheat for consumption and storage. Barley and wheat are also main ingredients in beer. -
Period: 7000 BCE to 5000 BCE
Domestication of plants and animals increases.
Between 7000 and 5000 BCE, the domestication of plants and animals increased as new irrigation techniques were developed. This more efficient style of farming led to food surpluses, which let people focus on other aspects of life, such as religion, or beer. -
5400 BCE
Earliest physical evidence of wine.
The earliest physical form of wine discovered as a red residue inside a pottery jar. Wines biblical origins can be traced back to the story of Noah, who planted the first vines in the area. Knowledge of wine making then spread to other places throughout the modern Middle East. -
3400 BCE
Earliest forms of writing are ration documents for beer and bread.
The earliest documents of writing recorded are ration tablets for beer and bread. The use of ration documents suggests that people were receiving rations as a primary source of food. -
2650 BCE
Beer is important in Egyptian culture.
Documents dating back to the 3rd dynasty in Egypt mention different varieties of beer. Beer was also an important foodstuff, and was thought to have ancient and mythological origins. -
2035 BCE
Beer and other foodstuffs are used as payment methods.
Some documents from 2035 BCE are lists of provisions paid out to the official messengers of the Sumerian state. When the pyramids of Egypt were being constructed, the workers were paid in beer and bread. Managers and officials were paid in larger quantities. -
Period: 700 BCE to 799 BCE
Wine becomes important in social gatherings and status.
As wine become popularized among the Greeks, it became more closely related to social status. Drinking wine that was watered down at a special gathering was peak social sophistication. Three libations of wine were poured out to the gods, fallen heroes and Zeus. -
Period: 599 BCE to 500 BCE
Buddhism spreads tea into china.
With the foundation of the Buddhist religion in the 6th century BCE, Buddhist monks found great interest in tea, because it helped aid in meditation, enhancing concentration and reducing fatigue. Tea was very important to the monks, and they spread it wherever Buddhism went. -
Period: 1 CE to 1000
Wine becomes closely associated with Christianity.
The rise of Christianity brought wine to its utmost symbolic significance. During the dark ages of Europe and after the fall of Rome, the church's need for wine kept the production of wine going, though only little amounts were needed. -
395
The Roman Empire is divided in two.
In 395 CE, Theodosius I divided the empire into an eastern and western empire, hoping that the empires would be easier to defend. When the western empire fell, it was thought that the barbarians would displace the civilized wine drinking culture, but the barbarians had nothing against wine. When the Visigothic law code was made, there was a punishment for anyone who destroyed a vineyard. -
732
Islam becomes the dominant faith in the Middle East.
A century after Muhammad's death, Islam had conquered most of the Middle East, North Africa and most of Spain. Wine was banned throughout the Islamic territories because Allah told Muhammad that wine is an abomination created by Satan to stir up enmity and hatred. Prohibition on other alcoholic drinks followed with the spread of Islam. -
1300
Instructions for distilling wine are first produced.
Distilled wine was thought to have therapeutic powers. Arnald of Villanova, a professor at the french school of Montpellier produced the instructions for distilling wine. It was believed that distilled wine prolonged life, clears away ill-humors, revives the heart and maintains youth. -
1430
Printing press in Europe is invented.
Before the printing press was invented in Europe, books had to be hand printed, making information spread very slowly. But after the printing press was invented, books and other documents could be spread with ease. Books about the distillation of wine could be made very fast, and more people could access it, turning it from a medicinal drink into a recreational drink. -
1511
Coffee is first banned.
Throughout coffees existence in the Muslim world, coffee was at the point of great discussion. Muslim scholars believed that coffee was intoxicating and should follow the same rules as alcoholic drinks, so they should be banned. Coffee was put on trial, and then was prohibited throughout Mecca. Coffee was burned in the streets and shop owners got beat. -
1557
First trade post established in China.
Europeans had heard of the many riches of the east, and they wanted to get their hands on a piece of the trade. But the greatest empire at the time, china, was closed to all European trade, because the manufactured goods were of no use to the Chinese, but the Chinese were interested in the gold and silvers of Europe, so they allowed the Portuguese to set up a trading post. -
King Charles II bans coffee-houses.
Because coffeehouses allowed for such free speech, and for ideas to spread very quickly, it led some leaders to be suspicious of plots against them. So in order to suppress plots being hatched against him, King Charles II banned all coffeehouses to keep the peace and quiet of the British realm. -
The theory of gravity in coffeehouses.
The coffeehouses were great places to exchange important information, such as medical information, and scientific information. In one coffeehouse, on a January evening, three men met and turned to a discussion on the theory of gravity. This was the trigger for the publication of the greatest book in of the scientific revolution. -
Molasses act is passed.
Since France had banned the production of rum, English distillers were importing molasses from the French sugar islands, which the British did not like, so they passed the Molasses act of 1733. This law put taxes on all molasses being imported from foreign places to encourage the New England distillers to buy from British sugar islands. This was an awful mistake by the British, because it made the colonists feel entitled to defy other unreasonable taxes on items shipped to and from the colonies. -
Artificial carbonated drinks are invented.
In 1767, a man by the name of Joseph Priestly invented the first artificially carbonated drink. He was fascinated by the gas that came off of the fermentation vats, he began experimenting. He concluded that the gas was heavier than air, then he found out how to incorporate the gas into water. Priestly was awarded the Copley medal for the drinks medical potential. -
Tea and the beginning of the industrial revolution.
In 1767, Richard Arkwright, a British inventor developed a spinning frame that could be used by anyone who could operate. After building a horse powered mill, 2 wealthy business men gave him the funds to build a larger one at the river. This first modern factory helped Britain become the worlds first industrial power. But with these factories came tiring, long shifts, and that is where tea came into play. The tea helped the workers stay alert and concentrated. -
The forerunner of the London stock exchange is established.
In the 1690's, the British government put strict restrictions on stock trading. Because of this, the stockbrokers abandoned the stock exchange and moved to the coffeehouses. But problems were still apparent, so in 1773, a group of traders broke away and formed a new trade, which became the forerunner to the London stock exchange. -
Boston tea party.
On the morning of December 16, a group of protesters snuck onto a British ship and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. In March 1774, the British closed up the port of Boston. This showed that the British were trying to assert power of the colonies, which enraged the colonists even more, and prompted the start of the revolutionary war. -
The French Revolution begins.
Due to Frances failing economy, and the governments failure to help most of the starving population, revolution broke out. The revolution was sparked by the free speech atmospheres of the coffeehouses. Coffeehouses at this time were very crowded, inside and out, by people listening to certain orators for their violence against the government. -
The whiskey rebellion.
In attempt to raise money to pay of the national debt caused by the revolutionary war, an excise duty was placed on each gallon of liquor produced. This did not settle well with the distillers in western Pennsylvania, and conflict soon broke out. The conflict was suppressed by the federal soldiers, and the rebellion forcefully illustrated that federal law could not be ignored. -
Prevention of scurvy begins.
In 1795, the British started to include lime or lemon juice in the grog aboard their ships. This helped the crew stay resistant to scurvy, unlike their french counterparts, who drank wine, which reduced the resistance to scurvy. This allowed the Royal Navy to double its performance and eventually defeat the French and Spanish. -
Period: to
The opium war.
When the Chinese tried to put an end to the opium trade, the British got angry, because they said the Chinese had no right to seize and destroy goods belonging to British merchants. This eventually sparked a war, which was very one sided due to the British's superior technology. Due to the technological superiority of the British, they were able to take Hong Kong and force the Chinese to sign a peace treaty, give Hong Kong to the British and open 5 free trade ports. -
Coca-Cola is launched.
Coca-Cola had launched just at the right time, as Atlanta was experimenting prohibition. This skyrocketed coke's popularity because it was non-alcoholic and a good soda water flavoring. It was also claimed that Coca-Cola cured all nervous affections, making it not only a refreshment, but a medicine. After Atlanta's end of prohibition, Coca-Cola had established itself as a drink. -
Coca-Cola goes nationwide.
Coca-Cola was never expected to be successfully bottled and sold anywhere. The company's owner, Asa Chandler thought bottling wouldn't work, and he was always opposed to the idea. But when he granted two business men the right to bottle the drink, they made Coca-Cola go nationwide. Now that coke could be accessed from places that weren't soda fountains, every town had coke. -
The Arab boycott of Coca-Cola.
In the mid 20th century, Coca-Cola faced controversy because they were not opening to Israel, but they were open in the Arab market. The company amounted accusations of antisemitism, and eventually put a bottling plant in Israel. This sparked outrage in the Arab market, which started a boycott. This showed that Coca-Cola found itself aligned with American foreign policy. -
New coke is launched.
Coca-Cola is the drink associated with globalization, because it is everywhere. But even the most globalized company cannot change people to like something new. When Coca-Cola launched new coke, it was a disaster. The drink was sweeter to the original which was more Pepsi like. The drink did so bad that sales plummeted and the company was forced to bring back original coke.