Things go better with Coke and I can prove that | Eastern North Carolina Now

   The history of Coca Cola as told by someone who slept through most of his history classes. But for a long portion of his life, had a close association with the drink and it 1st cousin from Kentucky. And that makes him an EX/SPURT. Bobby Tony      (DISCLAIMER)

    The inventor of Coca-Cola died penniless and addicted toMorphine. John Pemberton fought in the civil war on the losing side. He was almost killed by a saber wound and became addicted to morphine to ease the pain.

    Because of the high cost of the drug in those times, he devoted his skills to find an alternative to the drug. His invention was advertised as a painkiller. One year after the Civil War, he marketed his drink as "Pemberton's French Wine Coca." It contained alcohol among other secrete ingredients.

    However, as is the case with most good things a group of "Do-Gooders" passed legislation that banned the use of alcohol in drinks for public consumption. As a medical pharmacist, he intended to sell his alcohol drink as a medicine. After he was forced to remove the alcohol, somewhere along the way the syrup was mixed with carbonated water and he decided to sell is as a non-alcoholic-medical drink. I don't know this for a fact but I think this may have been the origination of the "BYOB" craze which is still running strong today. After all who would want to have a party with the cry "Bring your own Coke" or at least until Merle Haggard sang " I wish coke was still cola."
The drink not take off immediately and Pemberton had to sell partial rights to the formula to sustain his addiction to morphine.  He died before the drink became a popular national drink. He was broke and still addicted to morphine. His son passed six years later also addicted to morphine and the most of the family did not profit from the eventual success of the drink. Enter Asa Candler the P.T. Barnum of the beverage industry. With Asa's advertising and flair for promotion the drink became known world wide. While he did not approve of alcohol consumption he did realize the value of the soft drink. Contrary to popular lore the drink did not contain cocaine. The drink Logo was soon seen on all types of articles as advertising. In the last decade of his life (68) his children sold control of the Coca-Cola Company to a syndicate led by Ernest Woodruff whose sons ran the business. (Kemp, Kathryn W. "Asa Candler (1851-1929)." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 29 July 2013) Robert Woodruff was the President of the company from 1923 until 1954. His brother George Woodruff was a director.

    The drink that we Atlanta's residents' claim as our own was first sold at a Pharmacy in Atlanta. It now has its headquarters building on North Avenue. But the pharmacy at the site of the first location, Jacob's Wholesale Pharmacy has been long gone as has its replacement. The first location according to the history was at Marietta and Decatur Street in Five Points Atlanta, Georgia.

    Atlanta has a long history of not preserving historical building. In fact we often go much further than even General Sherman did. We tear down anything that gets in the way of 'progress' and build something else there (namely more roads going in circles). The original building was torn down and replaced several times. Five Points has always been considered the center of Atlanta. It was where the railroads met and dispersed goods and people to the rest of the area. Nevertheless, it is interesting that no marker or plaque was ever placed on the birthplace of our famous drink. We did build a park near Five Points which was named "Woodruff Park," after Robert Woodruff.

   "In 1979, Woodruff and his brother George W. Woodruff gave $105 million to Emory University and would eventually give a total of $230 million. Several buildings on the Emory campus are named for him and members of his family." (Robert W. Woodruff) The Park "Originally known as Central City Park in the 1970s, Woodruff Park was created through a generous donation from Robert W. Woodruff, former president of The Coca-Cola Company". (Central City Park)

    In 2016 Coca-Cola petitioned the City of Atlanta to establish a marker to commemorate the location of the original pharmacy. It was approved and a plaque now stands if front of the building that currently exist on that site, but we don't know for how long.

    Coca-Cola still does not have any alcohol (2nd denial: and never had cocaine as an ingredient to the best of my knowledge) but that does not matter. The Woodruff Park is less than 500 feet from the former pharmacy and it has been the gathering place for many of the homeless crack heads and winos that currently can see the Coca-Cola sign from their temporary home in the park. The plaque is located across from the sign which sits on top of a Walgreen Pharmacy. That is what we call progress in Atlanta. By the way, in true capitalist fashion the rent on the Coca-Cola sign cost about $8500 per month paid to the owners of building where it resides on the roof of the pharmacy. I think the 4" hole where the plaque stands is offered rent-free by the City of Atlanta. I don't think any of that $8500 is used for the homeless in Woodruff Park, but there is an outreach Church for the Homeless that meets in the park every Sunday. It sure beats marching and protesting about the results of a free and fair election.

   I was just sitting here wondering if maybe the protesters who want to change the world could find a better way to help those truly in need without expecting the government to do it. Maybe they should stop marching and pitch in at local food pantries in the area. ( Homeless shelter Directory ) Better still maybe they could start a business that would become a major industry and generate so much cash they too could become philanthropist like George and Robert Woodruff. But then again, that same advice goes for some of us who sit smugly at our keyboards and pontificate on the situation, while saying "Someone ought to do something about that!" As long as we expect that "SOMEONE" to be the government we will never solve the problems we face as a society or humans.


X marks the approximate spot of the Historical Marker.
   Is this a great country or What? Well, it used to be and can be again, perhaps. I think I'll have a coke. For the Record,
THINGS DO GO BETTER WITH COKE.

Research Sites:


   https://atlanta.curbed.com/2016/2/26/11118168/coca-cola-atlanta-history-jacobs-pharmacy
   http://saportareport.com/coca-cola-historic-marker-installed-five-points-site-first-coke-sale/
   https://m.thevintagenews.com/2017/02/13/john-pemberton-the-inventor-of-coca-cola-died-penniless-and-addicted-to-morphine/
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