Origins of ordinary things: Soda

Soda is the most popular type of soft drink in the world. It is highly loved by people across different age groups. In fact, a common phrase used by adults to soothe crying children is “Keep quiet. I will buy you soda.” Soda can be found everywhere. It is drunk at parties and other social gatherings, during meals especially in restaurants and even in people’s homes. But from where does soda come? In the article “Introduction to Pop-The History of Soft Drinks,” Mary Bellis a contributing writer to ThoughtCo, an online knowledge dissemination platform says that soda traces its history back to the mineral water found in natural springs. The mineral water was believed to have healing powers since it contained carbon dioxide. Therefore, at first soda was consumed by people in the 18th century as a cure for various illnesses such as headache, impotence, psychological disorders and indigestion. This is according to the article “The Origins of Soda” by Medical Bag, an online resource for healthcare professionals. At the time when soda first came into place, it was known as carbonated water or soda water. Joseph Priestly, an English chemist is credited for inventing carbonated water in 1767. The article “Soda History” by Soda Parts, a US-based company that specializes in soda fountains for home use, says that Priestly invented carbonated water when he “discovered a method of infusing water with carbon dioxide (CO2) by suspending a bowl of water over a vat of fermenting beer.” A vat is a container. Because of the belief that carbonated water had healing power, the process of manufacturing it and distributing it was left to pharmacists because of their experience with chemistry and medicine. Soda was not the first soft drink to be invented. An American pharmacist Charles Alderton invented Dr Pepper in 1885. This is according to ThoughtCo. It was originally sold as an energy drink or brain stimulator. The first soda to be made was Coca-cola. It was invented by an American pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886. When Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, he was aiming at making a drug. He was not successful. However, he did not give up; he decided to make his own version of wine by using kola nut, caffeine, coca, and wine. He called the drink “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca.” This is according to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. Later, Pemberton was forced to remove alcoholic content from the drink he had invented and replace it with sugar syrup. In 1903, and according to Medical Bag, Pemberton also removed Coca which contained cocaine because of the negative effects of the narcotic. He called the new drink Coca-cola.Coca-Cola also became the name of the biggest and oldest soda manufacturing company in the world. Another large soda manufacturing company is Pepsi. Although the manufacture of soda started out with the aim of creating a healing agent, sodas today have reverse effects on people’s health. Studies have shown soda to be associated with obesity, tooth decay, and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, sodas are said to contain caffeine which, according to studies, increases anxiety levels and results in addiction to the soft drinks.

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Origins of ordinary things: Soda