Coca-Cola began in 1886 as a temperance drink sold at an Atlanta pharmacy as a cure-all

pop & funWikipedia1886 · Columbus, Georgia, USA

Coca-Cola began in 1886 as a temperance drink sold at an Atlanta pharmacy as a cure-all

the gist

Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton, a Confederate colonel and pharmacist who was wounded in the American Civil War and became addicted to morphine. Searching for a substitute, he developed a coca wine tonic in Columbus, Georgia, inspired by the French drink Vin Mariani, and added kola nut for caffeine. When Atlanta banned alcohol in 1886, he made a non-alcoholic version and marketed it as the temperance drink. The first sales were at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta on May 8, 1886, for five cents a glass. It was sold as a patent medicine, with Pemberton claiming it cured headaches, indigestion and morphine addiction. Its early history was messy, with rival versions sold by different businesses until Asa Candler gained control of the name in 1888.

so what

The drink's origins show how a nineteenth-century health tonic, shaped by the era's drug problems and prohibition politics, became one of the world's most recognisable brands. Control of the name, which passed to Candler after Pemberton's death, turned it into a corporate asset.

fun fact

The company officially adopted the nickname Coke in 1941 and registered it as a trademark in 1945.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗