Bellringer #29 What do you think is the most important invention OF ALL TIME? Explain your choice.

Important Inventions

Coca-Cola Here’s the story of the invention of one of the world’s most popular soft drinks…Coke!

The drink called Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by John Pemberton The drink called Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by John Pemberton. The Coca-Cola Company began its rise to fame under the leadership of Asa Candler in 1892.       Pemberton Candler

 John Pemberton was a pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia. He owned his own apothecary shop, or pharmacy. At the age of 50, he was working hard to find a cure for headaches. He cooked up mixtures in a big pot at his home, trying to find one that would cure headaches. Some of the ingredients that he experimented with were leaves of the coca plant and kola nuts.  

One of his concoctions turned out to be a good-tasting drink One of his concoctions turned out to be a good-tasting drink. He added carbonated water and served it to his customers to see how they liked it. The customers came back again and again to pay five cents per glass for Pemberton's refreshing new beverage.

Pemberton's bookkeeper thought up the name Coca-Cola, naming it after two of Coke's main ingredients (coca plant and kola nuts). He wrote out the name Coca-Cola in his best cursive handwriting, and it has been written on Coke products just the way he wrote it ever since then.

Pemberton never got rich from his invention Pemberton never got rich from his invention. He made only $50 the first year, and after a few years, when his health began to fail, Pemberton sold Coca-Cola to Asa Candler for $2,300.

Asa Candler began the Coca-Cola Company in 1892  Asa Candler began the Coca-Cola Company in 1892. Candler knew that to sell lots of Coke, he would first have to make sure that lots of people knew about it. He thought of many creative ideas to promote his product. In that first year, 1892, Candler spent $11,000 on posters, murals, flyers and other forms of advertisements. The company grew by leaps and bounds.

In 1899, Candler sold the rights to bottle Coca-Cola to two lawyers. After that the Coca-Cola Company produced concentrates and syrups to make Coke, and bottling plants made the finished product. By 1909, there were already over 400 Coca-Cola bottling plants.

 In 1916, when other manufacturers were trying to copy the secret Coke recipe, the Coca-Cola Company created the famous green-glass bottle to make it stand out from the competition. Today, Coca-Cola is popular all over the world. It has a total of around 300 brand names in many different languages and is sold in nearly 200 countries.  

At the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta you can study the history of Coke products, purchase collectibles, and taste-test a variety of Coke flavors, some of which are not sold in the U.S. You might say that the invention of Coca-Cola was really a two-part invention, the invention of the drink by John Pemberton and the invention of the company by Asa Candler.

Important Inventions Throughout history, people have made inventions that changed the world. Some got lucky and stumbled on something on accident Some actually set out to make something Some improved existing technology to create something original

Important Inventions printing press—device that allowed copying without rewriting by hand allowed ideas (books) to spread more quickly (ex. religion & the Bible) helped spread of education (textbooks) helped save knowledge by making multiple copies of books

Important Inventions cotton gin—device that made it easier & quicker to pull seeds out of cotton made it possible for cotton to spread across the southern U.S. extended slavery in the U.S. by at least 60 years allowed U.S. textile mills (industry) to get started

Important Inventions steam engine—engine used to power locomotives (trains) & steamboats allowed boats to travel upstream (trade & travel) allowed trains to become widespread (settling of the American West) used to power factory machines and industry

Important Inventions wheel allowed development of carts & chariots for quicker transportation helped speed up trade and cultural diffusion

Important Inventions gunpowder—powder used to fire bullets from guns/cannons made it possible to fire at a much faster rate made it possible to fight with less training ended usefulness of mounted knights and forts

Important Inventions flight sped up travel over long distances (trade & information) eventually helped bring the world together (international flights)

Important Inventions antibiotics—first discovered in 1945 people began surviving diseases that used to kill them peoples life expectancy has gotten much longer overuse is leading to resistant “super diseases”

Your assignment What invention will you make that will change the world? Your assignment is to come up with an invention Include: A picture of it A detailed explanation of how it works or what it does The reasons why it will change the world If time permits…The class will vote on the best invention and the inventor will get a prize!