A Coca-Cola timeline covering John Pemberton's 1886 invention, the contour bottle, Santa ads, wartime expansion, Diet Coke, the New Coke episode, and the Costa Coffee acquisition.
From an Atlanta pharmacy in 1886 to a brand sold in over 200 countries, Coca-Cola built the playbook for global consumer marketing. This timeline covers Candler and Woodruff, the contour bottle, wartime expansion, New Coke, and the modern brand portfolio.
Atlanta pharmacist John Stith Pemberton first sells his new drink at Jacobs' Pharmacy on 8 May 1886.
Businessman Asa Griggs Candler buys ownership rights in 1888 and builds Coca-Cola through aggressive marketing.
Candler incorporates The Coca-Cola Company in Georgia in January 1892.
The Coca-Cola script trademark is registered with the U.S. Patent Office on 31 January 1893.
Chattanooga lawyers Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead buy U.S. bottling rights for one dollar, creating the franchise bottling system.
The Root Glass Company's distinctive contour bottle design is patented on 16 November 1915.
A group led by Ernest Woodruff purchases Coca-Cola for $25 million in 1919; shares go public the same year.
Robert W. Woodruff becomes president in 1923, leading Coca-Cola's global expansion for six decades.
Coca-Cola backs the 1928 Amsterdam Games, starting the longest continuous Olympic sponsorship.
Haddon Sundblom's warm, red-suited Santa paintings debut in 1931 and shape the modern image of Santa Claus.
Cut off from Coke syrup, the German business creates Fanta in 1940 - later a global Coca-Cola brand.
Woodruff pledges five-cent Cokes for U.S. troops anywhere in the world; 64 overseas bottling plants follow the war effort.
Coca-Cola buys Minute Maid in 1960, its first major move beyond soft drinks.
Lemon-lime Sprite debuts in the U.S. in February 1961 and becomes one of the company's biggest brands.
The Hilltop commercial airs in July 1971 and becomes one of the most celebrated ads ever made.
Coke becomes the first American consumer product back in China as trade reopens in 1979.
Diet Coke, announced 8 July 1982, is the first new brand to use the Coca-Cola trademark and quickly tops the diet segment.
The reformulated New Coke launches on 23 April 1985 to public backlash; the original returns as Coca-Cola Classic on 11 July.
Coke Zero debuts in 2005, aimed at full flavor with zero sugar; it is rebranded Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in 2017.
Coca-Cola completes its $4.9 billion purchase of Costa Coffee on 3 January 2019, entering hot beverages at scale.
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