Soda history is a fascinating love affair between entrepreneurs, scientists and the American consumer. Originally touted as health-enhancing beverages capable of curing everything from tuberculosis to hair loss, the first sodas contained what pharmacists called nervines, which could have included varying amounts of cannabis, opium, morphine, cocaine and even strychnine. Wildly popular in the late 19th century, soda fountains sprang up all over the U.S., providing these healthy, energizing drinks to customers who thoroughly enjoyed the way these medicinal beverages made them feel.
Why Are They Called Soft Drinks?
Coca-Cola wasn’t invented until the late 1800s, after the cola nut and cocoa leaf made their way to America, where it became the first mass-produced soda drink. One reason why medicinal Coca-Cola experienced rapid acceptance across the country may be attributed to widespread public criticism of the devil’s drink – alcohol, also known as hard drink. Temperance groups protested loudly against hard drinks but not soft drinks, showing their hatred of alcohol by chopping down saloons with axes and righteously scolding those who were not professed teetotalers. Their vigorous protests resulted in the Volstead Act of 1920 and 13 years of prohibition.
When Was Diet Soda Invented?
What was the first diet soda? Well, it wasn’t diet Coke, but a 1952 ginger ale called No-Cal, made without sugar and meant for diabetics, not weight-conscious people. In 1958, Royal Crown Cola announced the release of Diet Rite Cola, which they originally advertised as a sweet-tasting drink for diabetics but later expounded more on its health benefits. Coke’s 1963 version of its own diet soda, Tab, was a huge success at a time when thin was in and models like Twiggy graced the cover of women’s magazines.
At the heels of No-Cal, Diet Rite Cola and Tab trotted Patio Diet Cola, later called Diet Pepsi in 1964, and Diet 7-Up. Coca-Cola finally poked a big hole in Pepsi’s domination of the diet soft drink market by releasing Diet Coca-Cola in 1982. Tab sales plummeted when consumers raved about the great taste of Diet Coke, compared to Tab’s overly saccharine aftertaste.
Diet Soda vs Regular Soda – and the Winner Is?
Although the number of soda pop drinkers in the U.S. has declined over the past decade, Coke and Pepsi remain two of the most popular sodas in the country, with diet Coke and Pepsi drinkers taking backseat to nondiet drinkers.
According to the Huffington Post, the average American drinks nearly 45 gallons of carbonated soft drinks annually. Bottled water is the second most consumed beverage at 28 gallons per year, and the third most reached-for beverage in the U.S.? Beer, of course, at almost 21 gallons per person.
Whether you are a diet soda drinker or a hardcore traditionalist, you can’t refute the fact that there’s nothing more refreshing and delicious than an ice-cold soda on a hot summer’s day.
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