| A soft drink refers to any liquid beverage which | | | | several factories producing soda fountains on a |
| doesn't contain alcoholic content. The title is most | | | | mass scale. |
| commonly used to refer to carbonated | | | | One of the early problems with the soda industry |
| beverages such as soda, and seltzer, although it | | | | was containment. When carbonated water was |
| can technically be applied to juices and milk. | | | | placed in a bottle, it would create an enormous |
| The first carbonated soft drinks were the mineral | | | | amount of pressure on whatever was used to |
| waters found in some hot springs. Many ancient | | | | close that bottle. This could lead to air escaping, |
| societies believed that bathing in and drinking | | | | causing the drink to go flat. During this time |
| these liquids had a variety of health benefits. | | | | hundreds of patents were filed for cork, and cap |
| Often a shrine or health cult would grow up | | | | methods, all of which were unsuccessful in |
| around the wells and springs which were the | | | | keeping the bottles sealed over time. |
| source of these liquids. | | | | The problem was finally solved by William Painter, |
| It wasn't until the 1700's that scientists began to | | | | a machine shop operator based out of Baltimore, |
| discover processes which would allow them to | | | | who invented the Crown Cork Bottle Seal. This |
| replicate the mineral waters found naturally in | | | | method was quite successful in keeping the air |
| those springs. English chemist Joseph Priestley was | | | | sealed in the bottle, and allowed for the |
| the first who actually managed to combine distilled | | | | widespread distribution of a variety of carbonated |
| water with carbon dioxide. His work was | | | | sodas. |
| improved upon and made simpler by John Mervin | | | | At this time the bottles used to distribute soft |
| Nooth, who actually built a carbonating device for | | | | drinks were all made from hand blown glass. In |
| commercial sale to pharmacies. | | | | 1899 the first patent was issued to a company |
| The Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman brought | | | | for the automatic machine manufacture of |
| carbonated soft drinks to the next level, inventing | | | | bottles. By 1903 the Libby Glass Company had |
| a process whereby chalk could be combined with | | | | opened the first glass bottle plant, and just a few |
| sulfuric acid to create large quantities of artificial | | | | short years later they were able to produce up |
| carbonated beverages. It was his work that | | | | to 58,000 bottles per day. |
| would eventually make it possible to begin offering | | | | The 1920's saw dramatic growth in the popularity |
| carbonated soft drinks to a mass market of | | | | of the soft drink, as vending machines started to |
| consumers. | | | | appear in public places. This was also when the |
| Carbonated soft drinks were first made popular in | | | | "Home Pak" was invented; a clever marketing |
| the United States, when a Yale chemistry | | | | tactic that bundled several bottles or cans, usually |
| professor started selling them in New Haven | | | | a derivative of six, and sold them as boxed sets. |
| Connecticut starting in 1806 using a Nooth device. | | | | Today the soft drink is not only an American |
| Distributors also started offering the drinks in New | | | | tradition, but has traveled around the world, with |
| York and Philadelphia during the first half of the | | | | companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi distributing |
| nineteenth century. The popularity of these | | | | millions of gallons of soda and other beverages to |
| beverages skyrocketed, and by 1830 there were | | | | every country in the world. |