FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-87 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (May 8, 2023) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps from Steve Kovacs, we celebrate the first sale of “arguably” the most famous soft drink of all.

The Real Thing

It’s the Real Thing.  It had humble beginnings, invented by Colonel John Pemberton out of necessity. 

He suffered injuries in the US Civil War and became addicted to morphine, which was initially used as a pain killer for him.  Eventually he developed a slightly alcoholic drink in 1885 as substitute for the problematic drug.

When in 1886 Atlanta and Fulton County passed prohibition legislation, Pemberton developed a non-alcoholic version of his drink, named it Coca-Cola, and marketed it as a temperance drink.

The first sales of Coca-Cola took place in Jacob’s Pharmacy on May 8, 1886.

The rest is history.

This pictorial map of Atlanta from the 1940s was used as promotional material for Davison-Paxon Department stores.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.