The world’s favorite cola started as a “brain tonic” sold at Atlanta soda fountains in 1886

Wikimedia Commons/Billy Hathorn

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The 1886 Coca-Cola Accidental Invention (Georgia)

Dr. John Stith Pemberton created Coca-Cola on May 8, 1886, in Atlanta, Georgia. The pharmacist never planned to invent the world’s most famous soft drink.

He began this journey after a saber wound during the Battle of Columbus in April 1865 while serving as a Confederate lieutenant colonel. His injury led to morphine addiction, a common problem for wounded Civil War veterans seeking pain relief.

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Pemberton’s French Wine Coca

Pemberton tried to break free from morphine through a tonic he created himself. His first product, “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca,” mixed wine with coca leaf extracts…

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