Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia, who made the original formula in his backyard. The recipe contained cocaine—in the form of an extract of the coca leaf, which inspired the “Coca” part of the name. The “Cola” part came from another ingredient, the kola nut, which contains caffeine. At the time, cocaine was legal and a common ingredient in medicines. Obviously, the Coke you buy today does not contain cocaine—but it remained an ingredient well into the 1900s. But by 1929, with public pressure and Prohibition against alcohol in full force, the company had to remove all traces of cocaine. While the modern-day recipe for Coke is a highly prized company secret, some believe that the beverage still contains a non-narcotic form of coca-leaf extract…as it would have in 1929. While cocaine-infused beverages may seem far-fetched to us, these drinks were quite common in the late 19th century. Cocaine was not illegal in the United States until 1914. Until then, the substance had a variety of medical uses. Cocaine tonics, powders, and pills were believed to cure a variety of symptoms including headache, fatigue, constipation, nausea, and asthma. In 1889, an Atlanta pharmacist named Asa Candler purchased the formula from Pemberton and, in 1892, created the Coca-Cola Company. When he began advertising Coke as a beverage available across America, the drink still contained a trace amount of cocaine. After the cocaine was removed in 1929, Coke grew in popularity as a “soft drink” alternative to “hard” alcoholic beverages—and today it remains one of the largest soft drink companies in the world.