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8000 BCE
Nomads Begin to Settle
Around ten thousand years ago people known as nomads wandered the Earth looking for food. These people are named nomads due to the fact that they would travel each day to look for food. Eventually these nomads decided to settle which the reason for why they did is unknown and they began to domesticate crops. One of these crops was wheat and barley which were very important for the Mesopotamian's. These crops were important due to the fact that bread and beer was made from these crops. -
5000 BCE
Beer in Religion
Beer eventually became the drink that everyone wanted to drink. People believed that their god's were responsible for them having the drink, so people believed that they should give some back to them as offerings. An ancient Egyptian tale states that beer helped save humankind from being destroyed by the goddess Hathor who was sent by the sun god Ra. Hathor ended up drinking the beer and becoming intoxicated not being able to end mankind., -
3500 BCE
The Beginning of Writing
Early Sumerian wage lists and tax receipts actually have the symbol for beer (a clay vessel with diagonal linear markings drawn inside it) commonly found in them. This proves that beer is one of the reasons for writing to be invented.Symbols for grain, textiles, and livestock can also be found in the writings. This technique to collect taxes and such became a much used thing in the ancient civilizations cultures. -
2100 BCE
The First Medicines
Not only was beer being used by these ancient civilizations as drinks and currency, but also as medicine. A cuneiform table from a Sumerian city contains a list of recipes for medical use that all need beer. Some recipes that call for beer cures constipation and other recipes can cure indigestion. Beer was also great for medicine due to the fact that it is boiled in order to be made. Beer was considered so healthy that some mothers would supply their children with beer everyday for school. -
2035 BCE
The First Currency
Beer wasn't only used by the ancient Mesopotamian's and Egyptians as a drink, but they also used it as currency. Each social; class would receive different beer for work. Some people even got beer bonuses. People working on the Giza plateau would receive on average three or four loaves of bread and two jugs of beer. since beer was being used as currency people matched it with prosperity and well being. Because of this the phrase "bread and beer" was used as a greeting. -
400 BCE
Greeks Vs Persians
As the Persians were making their way to Ancient Greece the Spartans and Athenians had to team up to defeat the Persians. This eventually led to the Athenians and Spartans to fight against each other making it easier for the Persians. But then in the fourth century BCE Alexander the great was able to reunify the Greeks and they were then able to take down the Persians. The Persians were considered as barbarians who talked weird and had drank wine in a way that they wouldn't have. -
323 BCE
The Death of Alexander The Great
Alexander the Great an d his father, Philip II, were both considered to be heavy drinkers. Their drinking problem was so bad that eventually Alexander had killed his friend in a b attle in which they were both drunk. There is some evidence that because Alexander drank as much as he did that it could have contributed to his death from a mysterious illness. -
145 BCE
Greeks Vs Romans
Eventually the Romans had taken the Greeks spot as the dominant power in the Mediterranean basin which led to Roman power over Greece. After the Romans had taken Greece they began to use much of the Greeks culture in their own. They used the Greek Gods and just changes their names and they modified the Greek alphabet. The one way the Romans did believe that they weren't stealing the Greek life is because they claim they always grew grape vines for wine which they drank frequently. -
87 BCE
The Beheading of Marcus Antonius
In 87 BCE Marcus Antonius had been on the bad side of Romes power struggles and had sought refuge in an associates house that was a far lower status then him. He figured that no one would check an old mans house like the one he was staying at so he figured he was fine. he was until a servant was esent to buy wine for Marcus. The servant had told the seller who he was buying the wine for and the seller contacted Gaius Marius who later killed Marcus for his actions. -
180
Romes Golden Age Ends
Galen a man who was born in Turkey believed that mixing wine with other items would allow a person to be resistant to poison. Galen's theory was put to test when he had to give it to the Emperor each day. Eventually the Emperor did not die from poison but instead had a guard kill him. The new Emperor did the same exact thing except this recipe contained more in it. Eventually this Emperor died as well but this time it was from illness. Most people considered this as the end of Romes Golden Age. -
Sep 6, 1500
Slaves
Europeans found themselves at one point needing more work so they had went to Africa to take salves and eventually having to buy them. The Europeans had not done this since the Roman era due to religious reasons but now they were able to overlook this reason due to arguments. These arguments include tat by capturing the slaves they were helping them my making them christian and they also said that they weren't fully human so it was okay. The slaves help made sugar production increase by a ton. -
The End of Coffeehouses
In 1675 the king had begun the suppression of coffeehouses. His reasoning was because he believed that what coffee did to you was evil and that the coffeehouses only spread bad false rumors. The coffeehouses were only allowed to stay in business for six months if they paid a fee. People reacted with an outcry when they found out about the news and they couldn't think about a life without coffee. Eventually the outcry drove the king to repeal the coffeehouse act. -
Halley, Hooke, and Newton
One evening Hooke, Halley, and Wren all went to a coffeehouse where they had a heated discussion on gravity. After this discussion Halley had went to Cambridge to ask Isaac Newton about whether or not Hooke's theory which Newton said was true and helped Newton produce one of the greatest books in scientific history. With the book published Newton was credited entirely for the theory and not with Hooke. Hooke had insisted that he was the one who came up with the theory but no one believed him. -
Spies in Coffeehouses
Coffeehouses became huge and everyone was going to them. Even though it was a great way to be social and to actually find work it was also bad. People had to watch what they say in case there was any government spies listening in. Cops from this era had many cases in which people would say bad things about the government or the king. One example of the things people said was a man saying how terrible the king was. -
The Molasses Act
As molasses became more and more important to the British colonies more was getting shipped in. The problem with this was that the colonies were getting French molasses shipped in instead of British molasses creating the Molasses Act. Although the Molasses Act was created it wasn't really enforced. Instead of the colonists getting the British molasses they would smuggle in molasses from France. Not only was it cheaper from France but the colonists also thought it was better quality. -
The French and Indian war
The French and Indian war was a war in which the British and the american colonists teamed up to defeat the French and Indians. The war ended in a victory of the British and colonists but also with a major public dept in Britain. Because The British figured that the war was for the colonies they made them pay for the dept Britain decided to pass laws and enforce the Molasses act. Britain also considered this as payback for the colonists who continued to trade with the enemy even during the war. -
the Industrial Revolution
With the Industrial revolution in play there was a huge need for workers in the factories. The owners of these factories had made specific times during the day in which the workers could drink free tea which the workers loved. This helped the revolution due to the workers getting more energy to work longer. Drinking tea also allowed the workers to be able to concentrate better while working. -
Lloyd's of London
After Edward Lloyd had opened a coffeehouse many sailors and merchants who wanted to hear news from the sea and to attend auctions would attend Lloyd's coffeehouse. This made Lloyd's a natural meeting place for the sailors and merchants. Eventually even underwriters would want to rent booths at Lloyd's. This led to the creation of the Society of Lloyd's which is know today as the Lloyd's of London and is actually the worlds leading insurance market. -
The Tea Act of 1773
In the late 1700's the colonists of America would not buy British tea, instead buying the Netherlands tea. This is because they didn't want to pay for the tea tax. A company found that tons of tea were just sitting in their warehouse because the colonists didn't want to buy it. The company the got involved with the government and the outcome was the Tea Act of 1773. This made all the tea coming from China go straight to the colonies and made taxing easier. -
The Boston Tea Party
Due to this new Tea Act colonists became infuriated. The colonists believed in the statement "No taxation without representation". Eventually all of this anger led to protesters dressed up as Indians going aboard three ships in the Boston Harbor an throwing tea over the sides of the boat. After 3 hours of throwing tea over the ship a total of 342 chests of tea were in the harbor and many other tea parties were doing the same thing causing the British government to close ports in Boston. -
The Revolutionary war
With all the new acts and taxes that Britain was hitting the colonies with the colonists became enraged. The colonists became so mad that they wanted their freedom and to do this they went to war with Britain. Although tea was a huge drink in the colonies, many managed to go without it or drink things that were similar during the war to show the patriotism. After many long years of fighting the Americans were able to gain their independence make America what it is today. -
The French Revolution
After the meeting of the Assembly of Notables the financial crisis was not fixed and this forced the king to fire his finance minister. This was huge due to the fact the people only trusted the finance minister in the government. Outside of a coffeehouse named Cafe de Foy a lawyer by the name of Camille Desmoulins yelled at a crowd of people who were waiting to see what was happening to Necker "To arms, citizens! To arms" This caused the city of Paris to panic. -
The Whiskey Boys
After a law was passed in which farmers had to pay to be able to make liquor many did not pay up. This eventually led to marshals being sent to serve writs on the people who didn't pay. One farmer named William Miller created conflict when he was approached by the Marshall's. A group named the Whiskey Boys skirmished the marshals creating deaths on both sides. Eventually the Whiskey boys were put to a end. Those who were captured were actually eventually let go by the president. -
Fighting Scurvy
When British sailors would go out to sea they would bring beer with them for a drink. The problem with them doing this was that they wouldn't get enough vitamin c and end up getting scurvy. To help with this problem beer was replaced with grog which contained vitamin c. this replacement drastically reduced the amount of sailors with scurvy. Wen other sailors had found out about the new drink they would make fun of the British sailors and call them limeys due to grog containing lemon juice. -
The Opium Wars
Due to the amount of tea that was being imported into Britain and the colonies the Chinese made the British pay and in silver. The British did not have much silver so they were forced to sell opium to the Chinese for silver allowing them to give the Chinese for silver. when the Chinese had found out about this they went to war with Britain. This war was easily;y one sided though since Britain was far more advanced in weaponry then China. This gave Britain 5 pots in china and Hong Kong. -
The United States v. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola
In the early 1900's scientist began to look into the dangers that foods and drinks could have on the American people. What followed these investigation was laws against these products. A scientist by the name of Dr. Wiley believed that parents do not know that their children were drinking caffeine from cola. This made Coca-Cola go to court. After a month long battle the court decided that since the name Coca-Cola clearly states it has kola which has caffeine makes it obvious it has caffeine. -
The Great Depresiion
After the stock market crash of 1929 america had gone into a depression and was called the Great Depression. During the Great Depression Coca-Cola thrived due to Coca-Cola's publicist Archie Lee finding many ways to promote Coca-Cola. He made the drink seem like a happy thing that could cheer people up from the depression, by talking to people through the radio. Its advertisements tried to show the world as free to do what you want and it showed people being happy. -
World War II
When America was leaving for World War II the Coca-Cola company did something huge. What they did was the president of the company said he wanted to give every man in uniform a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents not matter the cost. This helped Coca-Cola be able linked to patriotism. During the war the soda machinery runners were just as important as the mechanics working on the planes and tanks according to the soldiers. The drink was poplar with the soldiers because it reminded them of home -
The French vs. Coca-Cola
In the 50's the French had seen that Drinking Coca-Cola was not good for the soldiers who had liberated France and had decided that they didn't want this drink in their country. The result was a mass attack on the company. French protesters smashed bottles and had turned company trucks over containing Coca-Cola. Even with this attack on the company little had changed. All it really did was give Coca-Cola free publicity. -
Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi
During the Gulf War of 1991 Coca-Cola had sent their product to soldiers who were fighting in Saudi Arabia. The only problem was that they couldn't come close to Pepsi in number of drinks h\who had five factories in the country. The cease fire of the war was signed with the enemy\y holding a Pepsi can. what resulted was Coca-Cola making a push to get factories up in running in the Saudi market to weaken Pepsi.
