Detroit, Michigan might not be the
city it once was, but it does have a prestigious history and a few
firsts attributed to it.
The very first news broadcast came out of Detroit on WWJ.
Detroit was the first city to assign individual phone numbers,
in 1879.
It is potato chip capital of the world… per consumption. (Love
those Better Made chips)
Ice cream soda was invented in Detroit.
Pizza deliveryman Richard Davis invented the bulletproof vest,
after being attacked by three armed robbers during a delivery.
(DuPont chemist Stephanie Kwolek, who passed away last month,
discovered Kevlar in 1965).
Detroit has more registered bowlers than any other city.
The salt mines beneath Detroit could keep food flavored for over
seventy thousand years.
Elijay J. McCoy invented the best lubrication system for
locomotives and other machinery in 1872. Manufacturers wanted the
best, “the real McCoy.” (That’s where the saying came from).
The first four-way traffic light was in Detroit, at the
intersection of Woodward and Fort St.
A one-mile stretch of Detroit road was paved with concrete in
1908, making it the world's first concrete-paved road.
Vernor's Ginger Ale was invented there.
The first air-conditioned car was manufactured in 1939 by
Detroit's Packard Motor Car Company.
The J.W. Westcott II, Detroit, is the world's only floating post
office, as it delivers mail to ships as they pass under the
Ambassador Bridge (I once rode on it).
The first tunnel connecting two countries in the world is the
Detroit Windsor Tunnel, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario,
Canada.
Belle Isle, in Detroit is the largest island park in the US.
Showing posts with label Vernor's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vernor's. Show all posts
Jul 11, 2014
May 8, 2012
Coca Cola Facts
It was originally used for medicinal purposes and
sold at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, GA. Coca leaves do indeed
contain traces of cocaine, which was then believed to help control
one’s dependence on opiates.
John Pemberton received a medical degree at 19 and worked as a druggist in Columbus, Georgia, before joining the Confederate army during the Civil War. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel with the Third Georgia Cavalry and was severely wounded in battle.
To control the pain resulting from those wounds, he became addicted to morphine.
After the war, he settled in Atlanta, where he began work on a beverage combining coca leaves and cola nuts. His objective was to create a pain reliever but when his lab assistant accidentally mixed the concoction with carbonated water on May 8, 1886, the two men tasted it, liked it, and decided it might make a profitable alternative to ginger ale and root beer. Vernor's Ginger Ale, created in 1866 by a Detroit pharmacist, preceded Coke and was originally available only in Detroit.
Three years later, Dr. Pemberton he sold out for $2,300. He had no idea what the still very classified, secret formula would be worth. It is now used in a product that sells about 350 million cans and bottles a day in nearly 200 countries. He died a few years after his accidental invention and only a few months after the Coca Cola Corporation was incorporated.
The original medicine was sold to make people feel better. Some say it still does, minus the cocaine. Vernor's, especially with Captain Morgan, still makes me feel better than Coke.
John Pemberton received a medical degree at 19 and worked as a druggist in Columbus, Georgia, before joining the Confederate army during the Civil War. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel with the Third Georgia Cavalry and was severely wounded in battle.
To control the pain resulting from those wounds, he became addicted to morphine.
After the war, he settled in Atlanta, where he began work on a beverage combining coca leaves and cola nuts. His objective was to create a pain reliever but when his lab assistant accidentally mixed the concoction with carbonated water on May 8, 1886, the two men tasted it, liked it, and decided it might make a profitable alternative to ginger ale and root beer. Vernor's Ginger Ale, created in 1866 by a Detroit pharmacist, preceded Coke and was originally available only in Detroit.
Three years later, Dr. Pemberton he sold out for $2,300. He had no idea what the still very classified, secret formula would be worth. It is now used in a product that sells about 350 million cans and bottles a day in nearly 200 countries. He died a few years after his accidental invention and only a few months after the Coca Cola Corporation was incorporated.
The original medicine was sold to make people feel better. Some say it still does, minus the cocaine. Vernor's, especially with Captain Morgan, still makes me feel better than Coke.
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