National Have a Coke Day

There's something about Coca-Cola. You may have a more preferred beverage, but it's hard to argue the fact that the carbonated soft drink is an American institution. In honor of National Have a Coke Day, here are some interesting facts about the drink.

Coca-Cola has been around since 1886: According to the Coca-Cola website, the drink was created by a pharmacist, Dr. John S. Pemberton and his partner, Frank Robinson came up with the name for the soft drink.

It first sold for five cents per glass: Although the price has gone up since then, so have the sales. It's estimated that the servings of Coca-Cola surpassed 1.9 billion worldwide in 2019.

Coke produced its first can version of the product in 1955: Before that, it was all about the glass bottles. Coke was one of the first soft drinks to be put in cans.

"New Coke" was a disaster: Rolled out in April of 1985, the Coca-Cola formula was adjusted and given a new, sweeter taste. Consumers rejected "New Coke" in a big way and the company itself calls it "One of the most memorable marketing blunders ever".

The company dishes out big bucks to some of the biggest brand names: Some of the giants of entertainment and tech are Coca-Cola sponsors. With brands like Apple, American Idol, the NBA, Nascar, and even the Olympics; Coke spends millions of dollars to sustain its brand and its dominance over the soft drink industry.

They own more drink brands than you might realize: Drinks like Sprite, Dasani Water, Minute Maid, Fanta, Gold Peak Tea, and, of course, Diet Coke; the company markets to just about every type of person.