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15,000 BCE
Era of Beer
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12,000 BCE
Humans begin to farm
Early humans shed their hunter-gatherer lifestyles for farming of various crops such as wheat and barley, allowing for permanent settlements to be erected most commonly in river valleys. -
6000 BCE
Invention of Pottery
The invention of pottery allowed goods to be stored and moved easier than ever, especially revolutionizing transport of beer and water throughout Mesopotamia. -
5000 BCE
Creation of Cities
Basic farming settlements in what is today Iraq evolved over the millennia into sprawling cities between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, planting the seeds of early civilization and society with job specialization, writing, and currency which was often jars of beer. -
3000 BCE
Development of The First Writing Systems
Cuneiform, the earliest known writing system, allowed for thoughts to be conveyed like never before or for complex business records to be kept becoming a precursor to modern accounting. It was often written into clay tablets via a reed stylus. -
2500 BCE
Construction of The Pyramids of Egypt
Workers built dozens of pyramid tombs for various Pharaohs, living in shacks next to the pyramid during construction. Once thought to be slaves, it was found out that they were skilled laborers payed in rations of four loaves of bread and around eight pints of beer. -
1000 BCE
Era of Wine
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700 BCE
Homer writes The Odyssey
This classic has created an entire art form of writing while also shedding light on Greek culture of the time. In it baths of oil and jars of wine are commonplace. The book and the Greeks held wine in high regard, where wine was civilization would be too. -
424 BCE
Peloponnesian War
One of several wars between the city-states of Greece, Sparta and Athens fought many battles and often while moving on the offensive they would destroy vineyards which were culturally and commercially significant. The wine producing vines were so invaluable that when an army of Spartans arrived at Acanthus during the harvest they immediately changed sides to protect the crop proving the importance of the civilized beverage. -
300 BCE
Defeat of The Persians
Alexander The Great united the early Greek city-states and lead an army to defend their sovereignty from the ever expanding Persian Empire leading to a Greek victory defining themselves from the "barbarians." This victory began an era of Greek prosperity as evidence from the plethora of scientific, societal, and wine production advances. -
200 BCE
Romans sack Greece
The Romans defeated the Greeks and conquered their cities such as Syracuse, one of the first to fall, changing the balance of power in the Mediterranean but not the culture which remained widely the same as before with minor changes, emphasizing the lasting effects of the Greeks and their wine drinking prosperity. While Rome emulated their former rivals they expanded from Britain to Constantinople. -
570
Muhammad is Born
Muhammad The Prophet is born, going on to speak to Allah and create the religion of Islam, with over 1.3 billion followers today. A century after his death Islam would conquer all of the Middle East, Northern Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula. As the religion evolves a ban is put on Alcohol leaving advancement of wine to the Europeans. -
732
Battle of Tours
The spread of Islam and the Caliphate was stopped in Western France by Charles Martel at the battle of tours signing the end of Arab dominance in Europe and freeing them to practice Christianity and Judaism as well as drink a plethora of alcoholic beverages. This battle has forever changed history and a loss there would have made Europe unrecognizable today. Charles' grandson Charlemagne would be crowned of the Holy Roman Empire 70 years later marking the beginning of modern European culture -
1000
Era of Spirits, Coffee, and Tea
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1430
(Spirits) Development of The Printing Press
European Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press revolutionizing how books and papers are created. Many of the first printed books are on the production of alcoholic and medicinal drinks. This allowed for more people to read and write as well as learn new skills. -
1511
(Coffee) Prohibition Of Coffee
During Coffee's initial introduction to the Islamic world debate raged about weather it was applicable to the prohibition with both sides arguing. It was banned by leaders in Mecca despite heavy opposition, though this ruling was often not followed by governors and merchants alike. Eventually it was completely dropped by he 17th century allowing coffeehouses to blossom in the Arab lands. -
1557
(Tea) Europe Gains A Foothold In Asia
After decades of cold shoulders and bitter talks from the Chinese to "inferior" Europeans the Portuguese were able to gain a permanent outpost after paying tribute to the emperor in gold for many years. They would be the only ones allowed to directly trade with the mainland until the 1600's, but this marked the beginning of a long road of European trading in the East Indies and China. Tea would become a common commodity as the isolated Chinese fell behind the now advancing European "barbarians." -
(Coffee) Charles The 2nd Becomes King
Puritan King Cromwell died in 1658 paving the way for a new king to rise up in the power vacuum. The people of Britain favored King Charles the 2nd to ascend to the throne. This would not have been possible if it weren't for his supporters who met in the newly created coffeehouses which were places of free speech and political ideology. Soon after taking the throne the king was informed of these meetings and the unlikelihood of his crowning if it weren't for his supporters gathering in them. -
(Coffee) Founding of Royal Society
Many students at Oxford University would go to Coffeehouses to clear their thoughts and discuss various discoveries and ideas with each other. Acclaimed scientist Christopher Wren frequented them well after graduating at Oxford to found the Royal Society, which included intelligent minds such as Robert Hooke, Edmond Halley, and Isaac Newton. The institution would go on to be one of the foremost intellectual hubs for scientific discovery. -
(Tea) Catherine of Braganza Marries Charles The 2nd
Portuguese princess Catherine married England's King Charles The 2nd, inheriting not just the two thrones, but Portugal's islands and trading outposts throughout Asia and her thirst for tea, which flooded all of England's elite. This marriage intertwined England with Chinese affairs more than ever before and led them down an almost obsessed path for the green leaf. -
(Coffee) Great Fire Of London
The fire was started at a bakery and quickly engulfed the buildings to the west burning down most of the city and it's 80 plus coffeehouses. This event was devastating but from the ashes arose more prosperity than before bringing with it hundreds of coffeehouses. The inferno provided a blank canvas for the citizens of London to build one of the most modern cities of the time, truly worthy of it's royalty. -
(Spirits) Passing of Tax Acts on American Colonies
A plethora of taxes were passed in order to generate revenue for the debts the British acquired during the French and Indian War. The taxes were passed from 1733 up to 1773 and include the Molasses Act of 1733, The Sugar Act of 1764, The Stamp Act of 1765, The Townshend Acts of 1767, and The Tea Act of 1773. These enraged the colonists who saw that the lack of representation in parliament and the lack of free trade with closer and cheaper foreign powers as unjust. This sparked outrage and war. -
(Coffee) Construction of The London Stock Exchange
A popular London coffeehouse called Johnathan's was the business place of stock brokers up until the establishment banned many of them. The brokers payed an annual fee to regain access and keep others out. Those banned from before were angered by this and created their own coffeehouse and stock exchange building called New Johnathan's. After much debate and confusion, New Johnathan's was renamed to The Stock Exchange. This building would go on to be the modern London Stock exchange. -
(Tea) Boston Tea Party
Colonists' success was contingent on unregulated trade with foreign powers. This was undermined by Parliament and The British East India Co. when The Tea Act of 1773 was passed, intended to dispel hostilities, it did the opposite. already high tensions boiled over after the tax was passed and tea shipments were sent to New England to be forcibly payed by the Americans. As an act of protest, colonists put on the robes of Mohawk Indians and dumped several shiploads of tea into the harbor. -
(Spirits) Revolutionary War
After decades of hostile laws and lack of rights, the colonists broke out in war for independence. It lasted for 6 years and would be historical for it would spark wars of revolution across the globe from the Caribbean to France to India. After years of guerrilla warfare on a defensive front the British eventually surrendered and left the newly founded Americans to manifest their own destiny. -
(Coffee) French Revolution
After supporting the American Revolutionary War, France was in fiscal debt like Britain after the French Indian War. In order to deal with this national crisis, then King Louis The 14th had the leaders of France convene. It deteriorated with the financial leader mobilizing the army. Across the country coffeehouses housed the peoples anger, including lawyer Camille Desmoulins who started the revolution telling his fellow Frenchmen, "To arms, citizens! To arms!" The king was beheaded soon after. -
(Spirits) Whiskey Rebellion
An excise on Whiskey was passed by the newly formed US government which enraged farmers across the nation. Some of these farmers in Pennsylvania boycotted the tax and when collectors came to get it they were attacked with their documents destroyed. After escalation of the conflict, 13,000 army militiamen were sent to quell the rebels. This early use of federal power was significant for it showed that the law couldn't be disregarded and was crucial turning point in the young nations history. -
(Spirits) British defeat French Navy
The British Navy provided it's sailors with Spirits and Rum as well as lime juice allowing them to combat not only enemy ships but common diseases like scurvy. This use of spirits and citrus allowed the British to dominate the seas and lead to a victory over their French counterparts who drank wine instead decreasing their resistance to these diseases giving the Brits a huge advantage. -
(Tea) British Industrial Revolution
At the turn of the century new technologies were invented making the work of hundreds of skilled laborers done by a few unskilled workers and new machines. These machines were first powered by horses then water wheels and then finally steam, the power of a new age. Factories rose up across the nation, providing mass produced, cheap textiles and goods revolutionizing the homeland and abroad by flooding artisan markets with cheap goods devastating local markets in India and lining British pockets. -
(Tea) India Replaces China As Producer of British Tea
Halfway through the 19th century, The British Raj was found to be suitable by the government for tea growth changing the balance of power from China to India, which was crucial especially after The Opium Wars to end British dependence on the Orient. Railways and closer ties to Parliament allowed the Indian tea to be cheaper and better, causing China's tea empire to crumble over the following decades. -
Era of Cola
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US Civil War
After years of political tension over economic and legislative power, Southern states seceded from the union over the following months and formed the CSA. War was declared and it would be the bloodiest in all of American history. Brother would fight brother with the strategic strength of the CSA and power in numbers of The Union. After the war, it would unify the country and its economy paving way for further industrialization and for The USA to become the largest economy in the world by 1900. -
Philadelphia Centennial Expo
One of the first official world's fair, The expo was to celebrate 100 years of American freedom, prosperity, and inventiveness. Millions of people and dozens of countries from around the world came to show off their accomplishments. It marked the beginning of advanced relations between nations that would become prevalent by the early 1900's. -
Pure Food & Drugs Act Is Passed
After much campaigning by Harvey Wiley and the publishing of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, President Roosevelt took notice and had a bill created that would pass under the title of The Pure Food and Drugs Act. This act would ensure food quality and enhanced the nations ability to provide for its people who could focus on advancing their society instead of weather or not the bread would be poisonous. It also limited the advertising of products like the overly exaggerated patent medicines. -
The Great Depression
Towards the end of the roaring 20's, people from sea to shining sea were extremely optimistic with no end in sight to the economic growth. Then it all crashed when the stock market plummeted. The next four years would be hell on earth with unemployment skyrocketing to 25%. Breadlines and hitchhikers would fill the land. This was a turning point in America, but like all disasters we recover and rebuild and by the end of the 30's started to reawaken our economic might as the world raged war again. -
WWII
December 7th, 1941 was the day the American war machine was awakened. Troops were drafted and sent to Africa, then to Sicily. On June 4th 1944, allied forces stormed the beaches of France and pushed onward to Berlin, beaten only by the Soviets. Coca-Cola plants had been built to supply the troops during the war and would go on to spread American culture to the rest of the world. Finally, America dropped bombs of utmost destruction ending the war with the enemy who started it for them, Japan. -
US Invasion of Iraq
After 9/11, Iraq was accused of having "weapons of mass destruction" and thus the invasion began. This outraged the international community and the people of Iraq who felt their sovereignty had been infringed upon, protesting by burning flags and dumping Coca-Cola down the drain. After much resistance, the ground forces captured Saddam Hussein's palace who would be hung by Iraqis. To celebrate their victory, US troops held a barbecue with burgers, music, and coolers of Coca-Cola. -
