Fabulous fizzy facts about Coca-Cola you might not know
The pause that refreshes

The recipe isn't as secret as you think

Coca-Cola makes a big deal about its recipe being a closely guarded secret, going as far to say that it’s locked in a high-security vault in Atlanta (pictured). But in 2011, This American Life published what it believed to be the recipe, found in a 130-year-old notebook belonging to the inventor's best friend. The drink's 15 ingredients include cinnamon, neroli, cilantro and nutmeg oil. Coca-Cola insisted, if anything, this was an old recipe.
Early Coca-Cola didn’t contain much cocaine

The first Coke was red wine mixed with cocaine

Coca-Cola's name comes from the coca plant and the kola nut

The name Coca-Cola was born out of two components of the drink: cocaine which was derived from the coca plant and caffeine from the kola nut (alliteration was deemed to be more marketable). The logo hasn’t changed much since 1886, aside from a few tweaks. The Spencerian font first used is still evident in today’s design – the most noticeable addition was the wavy underline in 1969. This advert was published in Family Circle magazine, in July 1953.
Coca-Cola's success is down to Asa Griggs Candler

Coca-Cola was once given out for free

Originally, Coca-Cola was only sold on tap

Bottles were shaped like cocoa beans

There's an optimum temperature to serve Coca-Cola

As part of its marketing strategy to make Coca-Cola seem better than its competitors, the company declared there was a perfect temperature at which the drink should be served: between 34°F and 38°F (1°C and 3.3°C). In 1919, it even sent salesmen to new retailers to enforce these standards.
Coca-Cola might have invented multi-packs

Not only was Coca-Cola one of the first brands to devise a modern way of bottling its product, it was also an early adopter of multi-packs. Noticing a trend in shoppers buying more than one bottle at a time, in 1923 it introduced six-packs so consumers could carry multiple glass bottles home without them smashing. This advert was published in The Ladies Home Journal in 1948.
Coca-Cola’s adverts from 90 years ago are still remembered

With Coca-Cola available nationwide and Prohibition keeping bars closed, it rapidly became an American staple. Advertising only boosted its popularity. The first popular slogan, demonstrated here in a 1936 Christmas advert, was "The pause that refreshes", coined by ad man Archie Lee in 1929. The "pause" is still synonymous with Coca-Cola today.
Take a look at these Coca-Cola flavors from around the world
Coca-Cola was the first Olympic sponsor

Coca-Cola didn't completely invent Santa Claus

It’s a common myth Coca-Cola invented the image of Santa Claus as we know it today. Santa had been portrayed as a man dressed in red as early as 1870. However, Christmas adverts, such as this famous 1931 one by artist Haddon Sundblom, did improve his friendly and rosy-cheeked image.
Troops were sent Coca-Cola as a matter of great importance

Coca-Cola helped McDonald’s grow

Coca-Cola was among the first brands to vary bottle size

Tab still exists and has a cult following

Coca-Cola once tried to replace coffee

Fancy Coca-Cola in the morning? In the 1980s, the brand tried to convince people they did. There was a media storm reporting figures that suggested people were swapping their morning coffees for a cool and fizzy caffeine fix. A Los Angeles Times article wrote that only agrarian societies enjoyed hot bitter drinks in the morning. However, the PR campaign failed because people couldn't be persuaded it was normal to wake up with soda.
Coca-Cola was the first soft drink to be consumed in space

The world's Coca-Cola consumption reaches the moon and back

It would take you 11 years to try every product

Coca-Cola is a universal language

Coca-Cola claims that its name is the second most-understood term in the world, with more than 94% of people recognizing it. The top term is ‘okay’. Equally impressive, the red and white logo is reportedly recognized by more than 90% of the world’s population. Here it is on a billboard in Piccadilly Circus, London.
The average person drinks a Coca-Cola product every four days

It isn’t hard to see why Coca-Cola is so well-recognized. It's estimated that the average person around the world drinks a Coca-Cola product – whether that's Coke, Sprite or Fanta – every four days. We truly are a globe of soda addicts.
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Coca-Cola is massive in Mexico

Coca-Cola’s largest fan base is in Mexico, where the average person drinks more than 700 servings per year – that’s nearly double what Americans drink. Its popularity began around the same time that Coca-Cola sponsored the Mexico City Olympics and World Cup in the early 1970s.
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