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10,000 BCE
The Neolithic Revolution
At around 10,000 BCE the Neolithic Revolution occurred. At this time people changed their lifestyles from being a nomadic hunter-gatherer to living in a permanent settlement. These small civilizations then turned into the first cities. Naturally this led to the rise of agriculture, the domestication of animals, irrigation, and social classes. Water was the only thing that the original settlers drank, that is, until they began fermenting beer. -
9000 BCE
Religion
Many beer-drinking cultures believe that beer is a gift from the gods. Since they believed this, beer was used in religious ceremonies, agricultural fertility rites, and funerals by the Sumerians and Egyptians. The Incas poured beer out as an offering, the Aztecs offered beer to Mayahuel, the goddess of fertility, and in China beer was used in funerals and other important ceremonies. As you can see many cultures linked beer to their religious beliefs. -
9000 BCE
The Discovery of Beer
It was inevitable for beer to be discovered once the collection of wild grains spread throughout a region called the Fertile Crescent. This area was very dense in wild wheat and barley so beer was easily discovered, most likely an accident which turned out to have a positive impact on the people who were once living a hunter-gatherer type lifestyle. Since this region was so fertile (hence the name) it provided a very reliable source of raw materials for the fermentation of beer to take place. -
3400 BCE
Cuneiform
We know that beer was widespread in the Near East by 4,000 BCE because of a pictogram that shows two people drinking beer from a jar. The earliest written documents are from roughly 3,400 BCE and because of that they don't show how beer was discovered. However we know that beer and agriculture are closely related. The origin of beer and civilization come together because when you have a settlement with a larger population and crops growing alongside them, new things are bound to be discovered. -
2700 BCE
The Epic of Gilgamesh
An epic is a long poem that is usually derived from oral tradition and narrates the story of the adventures of a hero or tell the history of their nation. Gilgamesh was a Sumerian king who ruled around 2700 BCE. Gilgamesh had a friend named Enkidu who began as a wild, uncivilized person and then was introduced into society by a woman who gave him bread and beer. As you can see in their culture, beer was seen as the difference between whether someone is or isn't civilized. -
2690 BCE
The Origin of Tea
According to Chinese tradition, Shen Nung, who reigned from 2737-2697 BCE, brewed the first cup of tea. Legend has it that Shen Nung was boiling water to purify it so he could drink it when the wind blew tea leaves into his water. He drank it and found it to be good and refreshing. He said that the tea quenched his thirst, made him less sleepy, and made his heart happy. In prehistoric times people would use leaves of the evergreen bush (used for tea) to heal wounds and to invigorate themselves. -
870 BCE
A Great Feast
King Ashurnasirpal of Assyria held one of the greatest feasts of all time in around 870 BCE. The official records say that the feast had 69,574 people attending it, both men and women. The king had a beautiful palace built and after it was built, held the party to celebrate the occcasion. The feast had a ton of food and wine for everyone which must have cost a fortune. The feast had focused itself on the wine and because of that wine became a symbol of power, prosperity, and privilege. -
300 BCE
Roman Convivium
The Roman convivium was completely different than the Greek symposion. Romans were served different wines depending on their social order. The rich drank the best wine while the poor drank the lowest quality wine. Like the Greeks, the Romans also believed that they should mix water and wine together to reduce potency. Unlike the symposion, the convivium was used to emphasize social order instead of putting them aside during their wine tasting party. The use of a krater to drink was forgotten. -
100 BCE
Arab Influence
Two of Allah's disciples got into a fight during a drinking party. The prophet wanted Allah's advise on how to prevent incidents like that from occurring. Allah told him that they should stop drinking wine because it is bad for them and was created by Satan to make the world worse. At first this was much more serious and anyone who disobeyed this was to receive 40 lashes. Eventually it was seen to be not damaging if you drink in moderation. Even then wine was still to mixed with water to dilute. -
170
Wine as an Antidote?
Galen was very interested in wine and what it could do to help fight different diseases. He mainly was so interested because of how it would help him professionally since he treated gladiators. Using wine was a common practice he used to disinfect wounds. The idea of this antidote was derived from a king who was trying to find a way to make it so he was immune to poison. The story goes that he eventually tried to kill himself with poison, but found that he was immune and he resisted the effects. -
400
Greek Symposion
In ancient Greece, when people gathered together to drink wine, they drank from a shared krater. They did this to show they were all equals and to insure one another that the wine wasn't poisoned and was safe to drink. Any differences in social classes were set aside temporarily while they drank the wine. As part of their tradition the Greeks mixed their wine with water so it would't be as potent and because they believed only gods should drink wine by itself. -
Sep 6, 900
The Tang Dynasty
Tea was becoming so popular that they needed to cultivate tea rather than harvest wild bushes. Tea quickly rose and became the national beverage of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). The Tang Dynasty was the greatest and wealthiest empire with the largest population size. Since it was such a luxurious time, it is considered to be a golden age in Chinese history. It had a lot of culture because at that time the city was more open to outside influence compared to other times when they were isolated. -
Sep 5, 970
Cordoba
While many may think that Rome, Paris, or London was the the greatest, most culture-filled city in western Europe, they would be wrong. Around 970 CE Cordoba had parks, palaces, illuminated streets, mosques, and perhaps the most significant, a public library. The library contained nearly half a million books! Not only that, but there was about 70 other public libraries in the city as well. Cordoba was the best learning center in the Arab world and contributed to the rise of distillation. -
Sep 6, 1191
Japanese Ceremonies
Tea was drank since the sixth century in Japan, but it wasn't until 1191 when Japan learned of the Chinese ways of growing, picking, preparation, and drinking of tea. A Buddhist Monk named Eisai wrote a book about the health benefits of tea which made many Japanese people want to start drinking tea more often. When Japan's military ruler (Shogun) was sick, Eisai helped heal him with tea. This led to a huge rise in the public perception of tea. It was seen as a cheap, tasty way to stay healthy. -
Sep 5, 1300
Distillation
In 1300 CE, the rise of the technique of using distilled wine as medicine began. People began calling this technique "aqua vitae." At first some thought that this drink just burned your throat a bit, but later on realized that small doses of this led to feeling more invigorated. The people who believed in this idea would say that it revived your heart, prolongs life, and maintains your youth. Two of the men who were true ambassadors of this idea lived a very long life, reinforcing their ideas. -
Sep 5, 1440
Slavery on Sugar Plantations
Around 1440 CE, the Portuguese began to ship black slaves from their trading posts in west Africa. At first they had to kidnap the slaves, but eventually started to buy the slaves in return for different European goods. Slavery hadn't been a thing in Europe since Rome because Christianity prohibited the enslavement of one another. However since blacks were not considered fully human, this was seen to be ok. By 1500 CE Madeira was the largest sugar exporter in the world and had over 2,000 slaves. -
The First Coffeehouse
In 1652, Pasqua Rosee opened up London's first ever coffeehouse. He wrote a book advertising coffee and a large portion was about it's health benefits. He said it was effective against sore eyes, headaches, coughing,dropsy, gout, scurvy, and prevented miscarriages. Although some of those have truth, they are definitely quite an embellishment. By 1663 there was 83 coffeehouses and at the end of the century there were hundreds. One authority says there were 3,000, but that's a bit far-fetched. -
The Great Soberer
When people drink beer, wine, rum, or any other alcoholic drinks to the point of intoxication their perception and decision-making ability is altered in a negative fashion. However when people drink coffee their perception is heightened and they become more stimulated rather than dulling our senses and temporarily ignoring reality. Since coffee made your senses sharpen, it was called "The Great Soberer." Since the Greeks and Romans didn't drink coffee, it made them believe they had advanced. -
Coffee's Legal Status
Although so many adored coffee, there was of course those who despised it. Some tavern owners, for business reasons, would try and say that coffee was poisonous and tastes like "Old shoes." Some other groups would write pamphlets about why coffee should be hated and even banned. The most noteworthy attack was when a group of woman published "The Women's Petition Against Coffee." They represented and supported the idea that coffee was changing their husband's behavior and made them infertile. -
The Coffeehouse Internet
Coffeehouses became a huge part of French and American culture. A lot of musicians, sailors, and actors would go to coffeehouses to meet with various people and try to get a place to work. They were also a great place to learn for a very cheap price and were called "penny universities" for that reason. To join in on an intellectual discussion all one had to do was purchase a dish of coffee. For this reason they became a great place to acquire knowledge. Ben Franklin attended many discussions. -
The Journey of de Clieu
Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu was a naval officer who introduced coffee to the West Indies. He got special permission to take a cutting from Louis XIV's coffee tree. After he received the cutting, de Clieu boarded a ship heading to the West Indies. He tended to it very carefully to insure nothing damaged the cutting. It wasn't without struggle though as the glass box it was inside of was broken in a fight and later flooded with seawater. He even had to share his water rations with it. -
Availability of Rum
Rum was made from leftover molasses which made it much cheaper than brandy, which was made from expensive wine. Not only was it cheaper, rum was also stronger and could make your drunk at a quicker rate. Not only did it make hard times easier, but it reduced American reliance on Europe for imported goods. The poor drank it straight while the rich mixed it in a punch usually. It also was a liquid form of central heating for the winter. Almost anyone no matter how rich or poor could afford rum. -
Fixed Air
Around 1767 Joseph Priestley, a clergyman and scientist, invented soda water. He was fascinated with the bubbles that occurred during fermentation which was at the time called "fixed air." Today we know the gas as carbon dioxide and the water as soda water. Priestley had his own theories on how the fixed air was an antiseptic and could act as a medicine against scurvy, fevers, vomiting, and dysentery. This contained some truth since people today drink sprite when they have the stomach bug. -
The Boston Tea Party
The British tried to tax American's without the representation of Parliament which gave rise to the slogan "No taxation without representation." Americans boycotted the British tea and would go to extreme lengths to find local alternatives that were not as good. On December 16th, 1773, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded 3 ships dressed as Native Americans. They threw 342 chests of tea into the ocean on this night. This story became a staple in American history and was very significant. -
Scurvy Prevention
At this time scurvy was a major problem among sailors and was responsible for the deaths of many. Today we know that it is caused by a lack of vitamin C. In 1795, it was popular for the British to add lemon or lime juice to their grog (rum) which contained vitamin C. This led to a far healthier British crew. The French lost many more crew members because they mainly drank wine which doesn't contain vitamin C. This contributed directly to the British defeating the French and Spain fleets in 1805. -
The Opium War
Chinese officials thought they had the right to destroy British goods (Opium) because they had their own internal ban on the drug. They were dead wrong. The Opium War lasted from 1839-1842 and was a bit one-sided because of how much more advanced European weapons were. In the first fight, 2 British warships defeated 29 Chinese ships. Medieval Chinese weapons were no match for British muskets. The entire situation was humiliating for the Chinese and debunked the myth of Chinese superiority. -
The Creation of Coca-Cola
In May 1886, John Pemberton was a pharmacist who happened to come across the right combination of ingredients while trying to make a cure for headaches. According to the Coca-Cola's official version of the story, he combined a caramel-colored liquid with soda water and created a new, invigorating drink which is now Coca-Cola. South American people would chew on the Coca plant which released small doses of cocaine. This sharpened their minds and suppressed appetites for long treks in the Andes. -
The Rise of Coca-Cola
At first Coca-Cola syrup was sold by itself as unfinished product not yet mixed with soda water. This was done because the owner believed it would spoil if kept in a bottle for too long. Up until 1985 Coca-Cola was still primarily for medicinal use against headaches. Eventually they realized by doing this they were limiting the refreshment to only those who were sick. By making it a drink for everyone to drink, healthy or ill, their sales increased dramatically. Everyone gets thirsty sometimes. -
Military Morale Boost
As the United States mobilized during WW2, Robert Woodruff, president of the Coca-Cola company, declared that every man who is wearing an United States uniform deserves a bottle of Coke for only 5 cents no matter where he is or how much it costs the company. Coca-Cola benefitted from the patriotism linked to this particular campaign and gained them national respect. Drinking this invigorating soft drink boosted American morale greatly. -
Problems in the Middle East
Coca-Cola was naturally associated with the American foreign policy which inevitably caused problems in the Middle East. The problems began in 1966 when an Israeli businessman accused the Coca-Cola Company of steering away from Israel to dominate the vast Arab Market. The Arabs had outlawed alcoholic drinks so bringing in a delicious drink that couldn’t make you intoxicated was largely successful. It made a lot of sense to focus on advertising in the Arab world considering the potential it had.
