Soft Drink TimeLine

1798 The term "soda water" first coined.

1810 First U.S. patent issued for the manufacture of imitation mineral waters.

1819 The "soda fountain" patented by Samuel Fahnestock.

1835 The first bottled soda water in the U.S.A.

1850 A manual hand & foot operated filling & corking device, first used for bottling soda water.

1851 Ginger ale created in Ireland.

1861 The term "pop" first coined.

1874 The first ice-cream soda sold.

1876 Root beer mass produced for public sale.

1881 The first cola-flavored beverage introduced.

1885 Charles Aderton invented "Dr Pepper" in Waco, Texas.

1886 Dr. John S. Pemberton invented "Coca-Cola" in Atlanta, Georgia.

1892 William Painter invented the crown bottle cap.

1898 "Pepsi-Cola" is invented by Caleb Bradham.

1899 The first patent issued for a glass blowing machine, used to produce glass bottles.

1913 Gas motored trucks replaced horse drawn carriages as delivery vehicles.

1919 The American Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages formed.

1920 The U.S. Census reported that more than 5,000 bottlers now exist.

Early 1920's The first automatic vending machines dispensed sodas into cups.

1923 Six-pack soft drink cartons called "Hom-Paks" created.

1929 The Howdy Company debuted its new drink "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Sodas" later called "7 Up". Invented by Charles Leiper Grigg.

1934 Applied colour labels first used on soft drink bottles, the colouring was baked on the face of the bottle.

1952 The first diet soft drink sold called the "No-Cal Beverage" a gingerale sold by Kirsch.

1957 The first aluminum cans used.

1959 The first diet cola sold.

1962 The pull-ring tab first marketed by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company of Pittsburgh, PA. The pull-ring tab was invented by Alcoa.

1963 The Schlitz Brewing company introduced the "Pop Top" beer can to the nation in March, invented by Ermal Fraze of Kettering, Ohio.

1965 Soft drinks in cans dispensed from vending machines.

1965 The resealable top invented.

1966 The American Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages renamed The National Soft Drink Association.

1970 Plastic bottles are used for soft drinks.

1973 The PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottle created.

1974 The stay-on tab invented. Introduced by the Falls City Brewing Company of Louisville, KY.

1979 Mello Yellow soft drink is introduced by the Coca Cola company as competition against Mountain Dew.

1981 The "talking" vending machine invented.
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