Think Coca-Cola was the first soft drink? Nope. The history of soft drinks goes way back—like 1600s France and 1700s Britain.
🕰️ In 1676, a French company called Compagnie de Limonadiers sold lemonade on the streets of Paris. Vendors wore tanks on their backs and poured lemony drinks from taps. Fancy, right?
Then came the real game-changer.
⚗️ In 1767, British scientist Joseph Priestley—the same guy who discovered oxygen—experimented with brewery gas and accidentally invented carbonated water. He added “fixed air” to plain water and even tried mixing it with juice. Boom: fizzy drinks were born.
💡 Inspired by Priestley:
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Thomas Henry made carbonated water in big barrels.
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Jacob Schweppe (yes, the guy from Schweppes!) developed a system to mass-produce fizzy mineral water in Switzerland in 1794.
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In the 1800s, soda fountains took over the U.S., with lemonade and fruit sodas becoming all the rage.
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Then in 1886, Coca-Cola showed up in Georgia. The rest is bubbly history.
By the 1920s, vending machines were popping up. Bottled and canned sodas exploded in popularity, especially through the 20th century.
Pretty wild how lemonade + science = global soda empire.
💬 What’s the oldest soda brand you’ve tried? Ever made homemade fizzy drinks?
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