In the early days of cola, the beverage was flavored using the Kola nut, which was naturally caffeinated and harvested from trees in African rainforests. Today the flavor is replicated using a combination of cinnamon, vanilla, and citrus flavorings.
Coca-Cola released a drink, Tab Clear, with the sole…
Coca-Cola released a drink, Tab Clear, with the sole intention to be marketed so bad, that people wouldn’t want to drink it, in an attempt to ruin sales of Pepsico’s equivalent, Crystal Pepsi, by comparison. It worked.
The price of a bottle of Coca-Cola stayed at a nickel…
The price of a bottle of Coca-Cola stayed at a nickel for over 70 years. As a result, vending machines only took nickels, and before raising prices to a dime the president of the company asked President Eisenhower to mint 7.5 cent coins to keep the increase reasonable.
In the late 90’s, Coca-Cola tested vending machines that would…
In the late 90’s, Coca-Cola tested vending machines that would automatically change prices based on the temperature outside. The higher the temperature the higher the price.
During WWII, Coca-Cola lobbyist Ben Oehlert convinced the…
During WWII, Coca-Cola lobbyist Ben Oehlert convinced the government to allow their product to be given to the troops as an alternative to alcohol in order to be excused from sugar rationing, thus potentially saving the company from going under.
In 1998, a Georgia high school student was suspended from…
In 1998, a Georgia high school student was suspended from school after wearing a Pepsi t-shirt on Coke Day. Upon hearing the news, a Pepsi spokesperson said, “Without knowing all the details, it sounds like (he’s) obviously a trendsetter with impeccable taste in clothes.”
ABC News interrupted regular scheduled programming to announce…
ABC News interrupted regular scheduled programming to announce the reintroduction of Coke Classic in 1985.
Coke was sued for the “unwarranted health claims” on their product…
Coke was sued for the “unwarranted health claims” on their product Vitaminwater. Coke’s defense was “no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.”
Coca-Cola was originally sweetened with wine. Before the wine…
Coca-Cola was originally sweetened with wine. Before the wine was switched out for sugar, it was known as “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca”. It was a 1886 prohibition law enacted in Atlanta that caused its inventor, Dr. John S. Pemberton, to rewrite the formula.
When Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize celebration dinner was not well…
When Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize celebration dinner was not well supported the then CEO of Coca-Cola threatened to pull the company out of Atlanta out of embarrassment.