1831 — John S. Pemberton born in Knoxville, Georgia
1851 — Asa Candler born in Villa Rica, Georgia
1869 — John S. Pemberton moves to Atlanta
1873 — Asa Candler comes to Atlanta
1878 — Asa Candler marries Lucy E. Howard
1881 — John S. Pemberton sells a product called Ginger and Coca Tonic
1882 — John S. Pemberton develops French Wine Coca
1882 — Asa Candler buys out partners and becomes sole proprietor of Asa Candler & Company
1885 — Frank Robinson arrives in Atlanta in hopes of starting an advertising business
1885 — Pemberton Chemical Co. Incorporated
1886 — John S. Pemberton invents Coca-Cola
1886 — The Pemberton Chemical Company is incorporated
1886 — May 29, the first Coca-Cola newspaper ad in The Atlanta Journal
1886 — May 8th, Coca-Cola is first sold at Jacobs' Pharmacy, Atlanta
1887 — John S. Pemberton registers his label for “Coca-Cola Syrup & Extract” with the U.S. Patent Office
1887 — Pemberton sells two-thirds interest in Coca-Cola to G.S. Lowndes & Willis Venable
1888 — April 14th, Pemberton sells his remaining one-third interest
1888 — April 17th, Asa Candler buys half interest owned by Dozier & Walker
1888 — August 16th, John S. Pemberton dies
1888 — August 30th, Asa Candler purchases remaining one-third interest from Dozier & Walker
1889 — Dec. 6th, Robert W. Woodruff, future president of The Coca-Cola Company, is born
1890 — Annual sales reaches nine thousand gallons
1891 — First known Coca-Cola calendar
1891 — April 22nd, Asa Candler takes over all remaining interest in Coca-Cola
1892 — January 29th, The Coca-Cola Company Incorporated
1892 — First recorded annual advertising budget, $11,401
1892 — Rights for sale of Coca-Cola is given to Seth W. Fowle and Sons for six New England states
1893 — January 31st, Coca-Cola registered in the U.S. Patent Office
1894 — First manufacturing plant outside of Atlanta is in operation in Dallas, Texas
1894 — J.A. Biedenharn begins bottling Coca-Cola without formal contract
1896 — The Coca-Cola News is first published
1897 — First known Coca-Cola serving tray
1899 — July 21st, contract signed with Thomas and Whitehead to bottle and distribute Coca-Cola in that package
1899 — Hilda Clark (singer/actress) first used on Coca-Cola advertising
1900 — Annual sales 370,877 gallons
1900 — Joseph Whitehead receives permit to open bottling plant in Atlanta
1901 — The Coca-Cola Company introduces the silver-plated glass holder for use with a straight-sided glass
1903 — First convention for fountain sales is held in Atlanta
1903 — March 17, The Coca-Cola Gum Co., is chartered in Atlanta, Georgia
1904 — Opera star Lillian Nordica first appears on Coca-Cola advertising
1904 — The Coca-Cola flare fountain glass is first used
1904 — Annual gallon sales exceed one million
1905 — Western Coca-Cola Bottling Company is formed
1906 — The first “Arrow” magazine ad is used
1906 — The first bottling plants outside the continental United States established in Cuba and Panama
1906 — Asa Candler establishes a separate sales department headed by his nephew, Samuel C.Dobbs
1906 — The first bottling operations in Canada
1907 — Slogan “Good to the Last Drop” first used by The Coca-Cola Company
1907 — Diamond-shaped paper label is registered
1907 — The image of baseball great Ty Cobb is first used in Coca-Cola advertising
1909 — The Associated Advertising Clubs of America elects Coca-Cola the “Best Advertising Product in America”
1909 — January, first convention of bottling plant owners and managers held in Atlanta
1909 — The Coca-Cola Bottler magazine first introduced
1910 — First rectangular Coca-Cola serving tray is used
1912 — Annual sales exceed 12 million gallons
1913 — Harold Hirsch, general counsel for The Coca-Cola Company, urges parent bottlers to develop a uniform and distinctive package for Coca-Cola
1915 — November, a contoured shape bottle concept is patented to Alexander Samuelson
1915 — The Hobbleskirt (contoured) bottle is patented for the first time
1916 — Asa Candler retires as president to seek position as mayor of Atlanta
1916 — July, a modified version of the contoured bottle is introduced into the market
1917 — April 17th, sugar, the main ingredient in Coca-Cola, is rationed because of the American war effort
1919 — September 12, The Coca-Cola Company is sold for $25,000,000
1919 — Annual gallon sales reaches almost 19 million
1919 — Individual bottlers number well over one thousand
1920 — October, Justice Oliver Wendell Homes hands down the decision of Supreme Court, which upholds Coca-Cola trademark violations against “The Koke Company of America”
1922 — Harrison Jones, vice president in charge of sales, initiates research of the six-bottle carton
1923 — The first Coca-Cola six-bottle carton is manufactured by the Empire Printing & Box Co., in Atlanta
1923 — April 28th, Robert Winship Woodruff takes over as President of Coca-Cola
1923 — The Coca-Cola modified flare glass is introduced
1923 — First billboard poster made available to bottlers
1924 — January, The Red Barrel magazine begins publication
1924 — The Coca-Cola Company forms a standardization committee
1925 — First billboard advertising done by The Coca-Cola Company
1926 — October 23rd, “Export Bottle” label registered as a trademark
1927 — “Five Star Dealer” sales contest starts
1927 — “Six Keys” $30,000 contest begins
1927 — The Coca-Cola Company first uses commercial radio broadcasting to advertise its product
1927 — The Coca-Cola “Export Bottle” is first introduced
1928 — “Nature Study” cards are copyrighted
1929 — The Coca-Cola “Bell” fountain glass is first used
1929 — Asa Candler dies
1929 — The first “Big City” spectacular electric sign advertising Coca-Cola used in Times Square, New York
1930 — Artist Fred Mizen paints the first Santa Claus used in a magazine ad
1930 — The first mechanically refrigerated coolers are offered to bottlers
1930 — Formation of The Coca-Cola Export Corporation
1931 — December, the first Haddon Sundblum Santa Claus appears
1932 — May, The Coca-Cola “When You Entertain” advertising campaign begins
1931 — The Coca-Cola Company and the Dole Valve Company develop the automatic fountain dispenser
1933 — The Dole Automatic Fountain Dispenser for Coca-Cola is introduced in Chicago at The Century of Progress Exposition
1934 — January, The Westinghouse Cooler is shown at bottlers convention
1934 — R. Fry and Company first bottles Coca-Cola in the United Kingdom
1935 — December 12th, Coca-Cola acquires parent bottler Western Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
1936 — Coca-Cola celebrates its 50th Anniversary
1939 — First one-gallon metal syrup can is produced
1940 — Program introduced to prevent incorrect use of Coke and Coca-Cola by press
1941 — The Coca-Cola Company first uses “Coke” in its advertising
1941 — First multiple page calendar used by The Coca-Cola Company
1941 — First (standard design) paper cup is introduced by The Coca-Cola Company
1941 — Kay Kyser's “Spotlight Bands” debuts on radio
1942 — “The Little Sprite” (Sprite Boy) figure is conceived by Archie Lee and delineated by Haddon Sundblom
1943 — June 29th, General Eisenhower requests ten Coca-Cola bottling plants in operation for troops overseas
1943 — The debut of “Songs By Morton Downey” radio show
1945 — “Coke” is registered in the U.S. Patent Office
1946 — July, the award winning “Yes” poster debut
1946 — The Coca-Cola Export Corp. acquires the trademark “Fanta”
1947 — First Coca-Cola clothing is sold in stores
1948 — First Coca-Cola cooler radio is produced
1950 — November, Coca-Cola sponsors its first television program starring Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy
1950 — Coca-Cola sponsors Walt Disney's first television show
1950 — The French government threatens to outlaw the sale of Coca-Cola
1951 — June 10th, Coca-Cola sponsors “The Mario Lanza Show” on radio
1951 — Coca-Cola sponsors “The Adventures of Kit Carson” television show
1953 — April 29th, “Coke Time” with Eddie Fisher debuts on the NBC television network
1953 — Red Barrel magazine stops publication
1953 — The Refresher Magazine first published
1953 — Annual sales well over 151 million gallons
1954 — First Pause For Living booklet is published
1954 — First family size (king size) bottle introduced
1955 — January 1st, Robert W. Woodruff retires as an officer of The Coca-Cola Company
1955 — Initial use of Coke cans, confined to U.S. military in the Far East
1955 — 10-ounce and 12-ounce bottles test marketed in Ohio
1955 — First eight-bottle carton is test marketed
1955 — “Coca-Cola Refreshment Center” opens at Disneyland
1955 — Coca-Cola starts sponsorship of “The Mickey Mouse Club” television show
1956 — Following the death of Archie Lee of the D'arcy Company in 1950, The Coca-Cola Company ends its relationship with The D'arcy Advertising Company
1956 — First Santa Claus doll used by Coca-Cola
1958 — Coke's “Hi-Fi Club” concept is tested in Indianapolis
1958 — Coca-Cola introduces the “Arciform” (fishtail) logo
1959 — Test marketing of 12-ounce flattop cans in several U.S. areas
1959 — Random House publishes E.J. Kahn's book, The Big Drink — The Story of Coca-Cola
1960 — April 12th, the famous Coca-Cola hobbleskirt bottle is registered as a trademark, only the second package to become a registered trademark in this country
1960 — First 16-ounce bottle is test marketed
1960 — The Coca-Cola Company purchases The Minute Maid Corporation
1961 — February 1st, Sprite, a lemon-lime drink, is made available to bottlers
1961 — Test market of 12- and 16-ounce one-way, no return bottles
1961 — October 9th, 75th Anniversary Convention for Coca-Cola begins
1962 — John Paul Austin ascends to the presidency of The Coca-Cola Company
1963 — McCann-Erickson develops advertising and marketing
1963 — Coca-Cola Company introduces Tab, the first low-calorie sugarless soft drink
1963 — “Things Go Better With Coke” slogan is first used in magazine ads
1963 — The Coca-Cola Company manufactures its 4,000,000,000th gallon of syrup
1964 — May 8th, the merger of The Coca-Cola Company and Duncan Food Company becomes effective
1966 — Coca-Cola sponsors A Charlie Brown Christmas
1966 — Fresca, a citrus-flavored sugar-free soft drink, is made available to bottlers
1967 — August 7th, The Coca-Cola Company Foods Division is formed
1968 — March 1st, Coca-Cola USA, a division of The Coca-Cola Company, is organized
1968 — May, “Frozen Coca-Cola” first introduced
1969 — The Coca-Cola Company manufacturers its 6,000,000,000th gallon of syrup
1969 — The Coca-Cola Company introduces a new logo
1969 — Prototype of the first plastic bottle, one way, contoured design is tested
1969 — October 14th, the “Dynamic Ribbon Device” introduced at the bottlers convention
1970 — J. Paul Austin becomes board chairman of The Coca-Cola Company
1970 — Santiba made available to bottlers, following test marketing
1971 — The Coca-Cola Company manufactures its 7,000,000,000th gallon of syrup
1971 — Coca-Cola is the most widely distributed trademarked product in world history
1972 — The Illustrated Guide To The Collectibles of Coca-Cola by Cecil Munsey is published
1972 — Mr. Pipp is introduced
1973 — Lawrence Dietz's Soda Pop book is published by Simon and Schuster
1974 — The Cola Clan (later to be known as The Coca-Cola Collectors Club) is established in Memphis by Bob Buffaloe
1974 — Worldwide sales for Coca-Cola is more than 165 million drinks every twenty-four hours
1975 — First Coca-Cola Collectors Convention is held in Atlanta
1975 — Coca-Cola acquires the Thomas Company, the last parent bottler
1975 — The “Easy-Goer” bottle is first introduced
1975 — November 7th, the Shelly Goldstein collection is sold through Ben Corning's Mail-Bid Auction, creating one of the biggest fiascos in Coke collecting history
1976 — March 14th, Allan Petretti publishes his first Mail-Bid Auction devoted to Coca-Cola memorabilia through Nostalgia Publications, Inc.
1976 — Bill and Jan Schmidt present their Coca-Cola Museum in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, at the second annual Coca-Cola Collectors Convention
1976 — May 11th, “Coke Adds Life To ...” advertising campaign begins on national television
1977 — Coca-Cola acquires Taylor Wine
1977 — Allan Petretti publishes his first Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide
1979 — Mean Joe Green advertising campaign begins
1979 — June 13th, “Have A Coke and a Smile” advertising campaign begins
1982 — February 4th, “Coke Is It” advertising campaign begins
1982 — July 9th, Diet Coke introduced
1985 — March 7th, Robert W. Woodruff dies
1985 — April 23rd, new formula Coca-Cola is introduced
1985 — July 10th, Coca-Cola Classic returns
1985 — July 31st, Coca-Cola is the first soft drink consumed in space
1985 — October, plastic cans are test marketed
1985 — Cherry Coke first introduced
1986 — Coca-Cola celebrates its 100th Anniversary