1886: Coca-Cola is Created

John S. Pemberton created what is now known as Coca-Cola. According to the company, he carried a jug of the beverage to Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia where it was pronounced “excellent” and was first offered at the store’s soda fountain on this day in 1886. Initially, the beverage was sold as a medicine and it sold for five cents a glass. Nine drinks a day were served that first year. It was during this time that some believed that carbonated water was good for your health. Meanwhile, Pemberton claimed that the tonic cured numerous diseases including morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, headache, and impotence. It was Frank Robinson, the company’s accountant, who was responsible for calling the drink “Coca-Cola” and thought that the two “C’s” would look well in advertising. In fact, he penned the script that has made the drink so famous. The very first newspaper ad for the product described the beverage as “Delicious and Refreshing Beverage.” (Image: Wikimedia)

1912: Paramount Pictures in Born

In 1912, an investor in nickelodeons, Adolph Zukor created Famous Players with the intend of presenting feature-length movies that would appeal to working-class families with the slogan “Famous Players in Famous Plays.” In 1913, Jesse L. Lasky created the Lasky Feature Play Company with money that he borrowed from his brother-in-law Samuel Goldfish, aka Samuel Goldwyn. In 1914, the two released their films through the startup, Paramount Pictures Corporation. By 1916, the three companies became one known as the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation who released their films under the banner of Paramount Pictures. Today, Paramount Pictures is the second oldest film studio in the United States after Universal Studios.

Movies Released

• About a Boy (2002)
• Bravetown (2015)
• Deep Impact (1998)
• Star Trek (2009)
• Wine Country (2019)

TV Series Debuts

• Grace and Frankie (2015)
• Solar Opposites (2020)

Famous Birthdays

• 1846: Oscar Hammerstein (music composer)
• 1913: Bob Clampett (animator)
• 1926: Don Rickles (comedian)
• 1940: Ricky Nelson (singer)
• Stephen Amell (actor)
• 1940: Toni Tennille (singer)

Birthdays

Return to May Page >>>