Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Coca-Cola: one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable brands in the world, and one of the best examples of a ruthless and immoral corporation. To understand how it became what it is now, it's useful to look back at its earlier years: snake oil swindlers, con men, Nazi collaborators, addiction, fraud, greed, political influence. This is the story of Coca-Cola.
Patreon: patreon.com/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Leave a tip: paypal.me/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Twitter: twitter.com/grockallschmidt
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Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100025678273449
Sources
For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Unauthorized History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company that Makes it
books.google.com/books/about/For_God_Country_and_Coca_Cola.html?id=Gc6zAAAAIAAJ
Why We Took Cocaine Out of Soda
theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/why-we-took-cocaine-out-of-soda/272694
The Cocaine Wine That Was Endorsed By The Pope And Inspired Coca-Cola
iflscience.com/the-cocaine-wine-that-was-endorsed-by-the-pope-and-inspired-coca-cola-68097
Coca-Cola’s Creator Said the Drink Would Make You Smarter
smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coca-colas-creator-said-drink-would-make-you-smarter-180962665
Spanish town claims origins of Coca-Cola
usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/08/10/newser-spanish-town-coca-cola/2638515
John Stith Pemberton
georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/john-stith-pemberton-1831-1888
Coca-Cola Candler (obituary)
time.com/archive/6659807/coca-cola-candler
Marketing timeline
coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/company/us/en/about-us/history/coca-cola-a-short-history-125-years-booklet.pdf
Asa Candler
georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/asa-candler-1851-1929
How the Myth of the ‘Negro Cocaine Fiend’ Helped Shape American Drug Policy
thenation.com/article/archive/how-myth-negro-cocaine-fiend-helped-shape-american-drug-policy
Coca-Cola collaborated with the Nazis in the 1930s, and Fanta is the proof
medium.com/timeline/fanta-coca-cola-nazi-845ee7e513af
Coca-Cola pulls 75th anniversary ‘Nazi’ Fanta ad after online backlash nydailynews.com/2015/03/03/coca-cola-pulls-75th-anniversary-nazi-fanta-ad-after-online-backlash
The story of the iconic Soviet general and the secret order for a special kind of Coca-Cola
businessinsider.com/us-secret-clear-coca-cola-for-soviet-gen-georgy-zhukov-2021-7
Q&A: Author of 'Bottled: How Coca-Cola Became African' on Coke's surprising history
npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/03/17/1238540775/coke-history-book-bottled-how-coca-cola-became-african
Trade secrets: Coca-Cola’s hidden formula for avoiding taxes
mondediplo.com/openpage/trade-secrets-coca-cola-s-hidden-formula-for
Coca-Cola: one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable brands in the world, and one of the best examples of a ruthless and immoral corporation. To understand how it became what it is now, it's useful to look back at its earlier years: snake oil swindlers, con men, Nazi collaborators, addiction, fraud, greed, political influence. This is the story of Coca-Cola.
Patreon: patreon.com/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Leave a tip: paypal.me/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Twitter: twitter.com/grockallschmidt
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/grockallschmidt.bsky.social
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100025678273449
Sources
For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Unauthorized History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company that Makes it
books.google.com/books/about/For_God_Country_and_Coca_Cola.html?id=Gc6zAAAAIAAJ
Why We Took Cocaine Out of Soda
theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/why-we-took-cocaine-out-of-soda/272694
The Cocaine Wine That Was Endorsed By The Pope And Inspired Coca-Cola
iflscience.com/the-cocaine-wine-that-was-endorsed-by-the-pope-and-inspired-coca-cola-68097
Coca-Cola’s Creator Said the Drink Would Make You Smarter
smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coca-colas-creator-said-drink-would-make-you-smarter-180962665
Spanish town claims origins of Coca-Cola
usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/08/10/newser-spanish-town-coca-cola/2638515
John Stith Pemberton
georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/john-stith-pemberton-1831-1888
Coca-Cola Candler (obituary)
time.com/archive/6659807/coca-cola-candler
Marketing timeline
coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/company/us/en/about-us/history/coca-cola-a-short-history-125-years-booklet.pdf
Asa Candler
georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/asa-candler-1851-1929
How the Myth of the ‘Negro Cocaine Fiend’ Helped Shape American Drug Policy
thenation.com/article/archive/how-myth-negro-cocaine-fiend-helped-shape-american-drug-policy
Coca-Cola collaborated with the Nazis in the 1930s, and Fanta is the proof
medium.com/timeline/fanta-coca-cola-nazi-845ee7e513af
Coca-Cola pulls 75th anniversary ‘Nazi’ Fanta ad after online backlash nydailynews.com/2015/03/03/coca-cola-pulls-75th-anniversary-nazi-fanta-ad-after-online-backlash
The story of the iconic Soviet general and the secret order for a special kind of Coca-Cola
businessinsider.com/us-secret-clear-coca-cola-for-soviet-gen-georgy-zhukov-2021-7
Q&A: Author of 'Bottled: How Coca-Cola Became African' on Coke's surprising history
npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/03/17/1238540775/coke-history-book-bottled-how-coca-cola-became-african
Trade secrets: Coca-Cola’s hidden formula for avoiding taxes
mondediplo.com/openpage/trade-secrets-coca-cola-s-hidden-formula-for
