Coca-Cola 120th Anniversary

The 1880s
May 8, 1886, marked the day the new beverage Coca-Cola®, created by pharmacist Dr. John Stith Pemberton, was first sold in Atlanta, GA. Pemberton's partner and bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, suggested the name and penned the now famous trademark "Coca-Cola®" in his unique script, still used today.
In 1887, Coca-Cola® was promoted through an innovation developed by The Coca-Cola Company -- coupons providing free samples of the new drink.
The 1890s
In 1894, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Joseph Biedenharn was so impressed by the growing demand for Coca-Cola® at his soda fountain that he installed bottling machinery in the rear of his store and became the first to put Coca-Cola® in bottles.
On December 4, 1895, Asa Candler proclaimed that Coca-Cola® was sold and consumed in every state and territory of the United States.
Large-scale bottling was made possible in 1899, when Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead of Chattanooga, Tennessee, secured from Asa Candler the exclusive rights to bottle and sell Coca-Cola®. They joined John Lupton and began to develop what is today the worldwide Coca-Cola® bottling system.
The 1900s
In 1906, the first three countries to bottle Coca-Cola® outside the United States were Cuba, Canada and Panama.
The 1910s
In 1912, a Coca-Cola® bottling plant opened in the Philippines, our first in Asia. The first European Coca-Cola® bottling plants opened in Paris and Bordeaux, France, in 1919.
The contour bottle for Coca-Cola® - so distinctive it could be recognized in the dark - was introduced in 1916 to distinguish Coca-Cola® from competitors.
The 1920s
The six-pack carrier for bottles of Coca-Cola® was introduced in 1923. Though cartons for bottles are commonplace today, in 1923 this was an innovation developed by the Coca-Cola® system to encourage people to take bottles of Coca-Cola® home and drink it more often.
The July 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam marked the debut of The Coca-Cola Company's Olympic involvement, when a freighter arrived with the U.S. Olympic Team and 1,000 cases of Coca-Cola®. The Company is the longest-continuous corporate supporter of the Olympic Movement and in 2005 extended its sponsorship of the Olympic Games through 2020.
In 1929, the Glascock Brothers Manufacturing Company of Muncie, Indiana, introduced the first standard cooler sanctioned by The Coca-Cola Company. The open-top machines were self-service units that required the consumer to pay a store clerk for purchases.
The 1930s
In December 1931, artist Haddon Sundblom's Santa Claus first appeared in ads for Coca-Cola®. This image of Santa - shown as a plump, jolly, friendly man - helped shape the modern-day image of St. Nick. Sundblom continued creating this sustaining image of Santa Claus for the next three decades.
The 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago marked the introduction of automatic fountain dispensers, in which syrup and carbonated water were mixed as the drink was poured.
The 1950s
1955 saw the debut of the King Size (10- and 12-ounce) and Family Size (26-ounce) contour bottles in the U.S., followed by Coca-Cola® in 12-ounce cans in 1960. Until this point, Coca-Cola® had been available only at the soda fountain and in 6 ½-ounce bottles.
The 1960s
The Fanta® line of flavors was introduced in the United States in 1960, marking the widespread introduction of the brand. Sprite® was introduced in U.S. stores in 1961. These launches marked the first new brands in The Coca-Cola Company's history. Until these introductions, Coca-Cola® was the Company's only brand.
In 1960, The Coca-Cola Company acquired Minute Maid® with its Minute Maid, Snow Crop® and Hi-C® brands.
The Coca-Cola Company's first diet soft drink, TaB®, was introduced in the U.S. in 1963 and spurred the early growth of the low-calorie soft-drink segment.
The 1980s
In 1982, soft-drink history was made with the introduction of Diet Coke®, the first extension of the trademarks Coca-Cola® and Coke®, and the most successful new soft drink since Coca-Cola® itself. Within two years, Diet Coke® had become the top low-calorie soft drink in the world.
On July 12, 1985, Coca-Cola® became the first soft drink to be consumed in space when astronauts tested the "Coca-Cola® Space Can" aboard Space Shuttle Challenger. Working with NASA, The Coca-Cola Company invested more than $250,000 in the initial development of the space can technology.
Coca-Cola® was named the most powerful brand name in the world, according to the Landor Imagepower Survey in 1988.
The 2000s
The Coca-Cola Company launched an innovative new aluminum contour bottle in 2005.
April 2006- Coca-Cola® launches innovative global multimedia communications campaign for its trademark brand Coca-Cola® under the slogan "The Coke® Side of Life."