John Pemberton | |
---|---|
Born | July 8, 1831 |
Died | August 16, 1888 |
Nationality | United States |
Spouse | Ann Eliza Clifford Lewis |
Children | Charles Ney Pemberton |
Parents | James Clifford Pemberton, Martha L. Gant |
John Smith Pemberton (July 8, 1831 – August 16, 1888) was a Confederate Veteran and an American pharmacist, and is best known for being the inventor of Coca-Cola.
Invention of Coca-Cola
In 1886, when Atlanta and Fulton County enacted temperance legislation, Pemberton found himself forced to produce a non-alcoholic alternative to his French Wine Coca. Pemberton relied on Atlanta druggist Willis Venable to test, and help him perfect, the recipe for the beverage, which he formulated by trial and error. With Venable's assistance, Pemberton worked out a set of directions for its preparation that eventually included blending the base syrup with carbonated water by accident when trying to make another glass. Pemberton decided then to sell it as a fountain drink rather than a medicine. Frank Mason Robinson came up with the name "Coca-Cola" for the alliterative sound, which was popular among other wine medicines of the time. Asa Candler bought the business in 1887. In 1894, Coke was sold in bottles for the first time. During World War II, bottling plants were set up in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific Islands.