Coca-Cola wasn’t always a refreshing soda—it began in 1886 as a failed medicinal tonic! Atlanta pharmacist and Civil War veteran John Pemberton created it as a cure for headaches and morphine addiction. Originally called “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca,” it was reformulated after alcohol bans, but only took off when soda fountains mixed it with carbonated water. After Pemberton’s death in 1888, businessman Asa Candler bought the rights and transformed Coca-Cola into a global empire through aggressive marketing. From failed medicine to one of the world’s most recognized brands—this is Coca-Cola’s wild invention story.
