37 Responses

1. Riccardo says:

   1 December 2012 at 1:18 am

   PR, Here again ……This day in history is near n Dear to my Heart …I drink 7 to 10 Dr.pepper’s a day ..I have been drinking Dr.pepper since I was 7 or 8 yrs old ..N I am now OLD enough to be wise enough to say i am 10 years younger than my partner..Who will be hitting the BIG 60…this Jan. 17th

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2. andrea baird says:

   1 December 2012 at 5:53 pm

   This is very intresting ! I love learning the history behind items such as this.I have often wondered how certain sodas have gotten their start. The start of Dr.Pepper is also similar to that of Coca-Cola , also starting in a drug store.

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3. Angela Charbeneau says:

   2 December 2012 at 12:19 pm

   When I looked up where he got the name Dr. Pepper it stated on (http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/how-did-dr-pepper-get-its-name-who-invented-it-and-how-did-the-soft-drink-originate) that he got it off his old pharasist boss in Virginia. He was in love with his daughter, but his boss told him he was too old and to move on. The boss’s name was Dr. Kenneth Pepper. Interesting I think to find that the name orginated from an old boss.On a side not Coca cola orginally had coca shrubs (a source of cocaine) in its formula. Cocaine was legal back when it first started up which is why they were allowed to put it in the cola beverage.

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4. Christopher Nichol says:

   2 December 2012 at 2:56 pm

   It’s been years since I’ve drank a Dr. Pepper, but I must say that I totally forgot that it used to be considered an energy drink back in the day, I always thought that was so interesting. You would many different pop’s would be considered that. One thing I always thought was great about Dr. Pepper was when they decided to team up Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose in a unique marketing strategy. They stated that if Axl Rose managed to release his new album, Chinese Democracy, in 2008, they would give everyone in America a free Dr Pepper. Chinese Democracy, was worked on for 14 years, was finally released on November 23, 2008. People had to go to Dr. Pepper’s website to download and print off a coupon, but it caused a stir because registering failures. They then extended the offer until 6PM on November 24, 2008.

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5. andrea baird says:

   2 December 2012 at 8:08 pm

   When the drink was first produced, Morrison had a hard time supplying his customers. Therefore in 1891 Morrison joined with Lazenby and formed the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company. In 1904 the company showcased Dr Pepper at the World’s Fair Exposition, to 20 million plus people.As stated, Morrison the creator of the famous drink had named his new creation after his friend, Dr. Charles Pepper. Later in the 1950’s the period was dropped in the orgianl name to what it is now known as today.

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6. Ashley Warr says:

   2 December 2012 at 8:45 pm

   While working at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store, Dr. Alderton noticed that customers seemed to get sick of the beverage flavors offered at the soda fountain. So he mixed an assortment of fruit extracts and through trial and error eventually found the combination of flavors that he and Mr. Morrison agreed on and enjoyed. They origonaly handed it out to people as they walked into the drug store while calling it Doc Aldertons drink. Later on they created the name Dr Pepper. Also it was originally sold as Tonic, Brain Food, and Exhilarant…an energy drink. Later Lazenby studied Alderton’s concoction for about two years and patented the same formula that is still used to this day.

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7. Shelby Mann says:

   2 December 2012 at 9:01 pm

   I found this article very interesting, especially being a fan of Dr. Pepper. I think it’s interesting that it was known as an energy drink. It reminds me of how Coca-Cola was originally a wine before being developed into a nonalcoholic syrup. Very interesting.

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   • Kenneth Lyons says:

     7 December 2012 at 1:02 pm

     Wow how times change. In regards to Dr. Pepper being first considered an energy and campaigns to ask people to drink it three times a day. Three times a day?! A dentists nightmare nowadays.

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   • Keith Rovin says:

     7 December 2012 at 4:39 pm

     Believe it or not but Coca- Cola was partly named for containing coca leaves. This meant that the beverage contained cocaine! Coca-Cola wasn’t cocaine free until 1929. It’s crazy to think that such a popular soda that millions of people around the world drink used to contain cocaine.

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8. Marco Yaquinto says:

   3 December 2012 at 11:12 am

   Dr. Pepper is my favorite soft drink out there. I found it pretty interesting because i thought coke was the oldest pop out there i didn’t know that is came out a year before coke. Also the whole energy drink thing is very cool. If it was still an energy drink today i would for sure drink it. Very interesting post.

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9. Shelby Mann says:

   3 December 2012 at 2:51 pm

   Dr Pepper like Coca Cola was developed in a drug store. He got the idea for the drink because he liked the smell of the drug store with the different syrup smells. So, he developed a drink that tasted like the smell. Though, no one knows where the name “Dr Pepper” originated from but there are many stories and not many people notice, but the period after “Dr” was dropped in the 1950s.

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10. Shelby Mann says:

    3 December 2012 at 9:27 pm

    Dr Pepper is the oldest major soft drink manufacturer in the U.S. In Roanoke Valley, Dr Pepper is sold there more than any other place. It is known as the Dr Pepper capital of the world.
    Morrison got the idea for the drink because he liked the smell of the drug store with the different syrup smells. So, he developed a drink that tasted like the smell. Though, no one knows where the name “Dr Pepper” originated from but there are many stories and not many people notice, but the period after “Dr” was dropped in the 1950s. Dr Pepper wasn’t introduced to Australia until 1997.

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11. Heather Daugherty says:

    4 December 2012 at 10:13 pm

    I also always thought that Dr. Pepper was much younger then Coca Cola, or any other soda company. I found the bit about how Dr. Pepper used to be considered the number one energy drink the most interesting however. According to one website, the energy drink Red Bull is the number one leading energy drink in the United States for quite some time. In 2012 Red Bull sold over $2.95 million dollars in profit. However in the recent year, 5 Hour Energy has taken the lead in being the number one best seller of energy drink in the United States.

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12. Emily Rumrill says:

    5 December 2012 at 8:36 am

    Dr Pepper Soda is one of my favorite’s caffeinated drinks and it stands out from Pepsi and Coke because it has never been a cola. Instead, its flavor is the result of a secret mixture of twenty-three ingredients. Originally containing Imperial Pure Cane sugar, you can still order Dr Pepper online that is still made with Imperial Pure Cane Sugar. I found it interesting that sometime in the 1950’s, “Dr. Pepper” became “Dr Pepper” with no period after the first word. They did this because it removed any medicinal association it had. Today, Dr Pepper comes in a variety of other flavors such as; Diet Dr Pepper, Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, Caffeine-Free Dr Pepper, Caffeine-Free Diet Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper Cherry and Diet Dr Pepper Cherry.

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13. Breana Damron says:

    5 December 2012 at 11:44 am

    I find it very interesting that way back when, Dr Pepper was sold as a “pick me up” to drink during the day, and was even made by a pharmacist. As we all know today, soda is “bad”. Doctors everywhere are finally outing the fact that all kinds of soda, including diets and caffeine free are actually terrible for the body because of all the chemicals in them. However, as the Today In History said, Dr Pepper was marketed to be drank between meals to keep people awake in the 20s-40s. My grandpa recently went to the doctor and was chastised for drinking a can of Cola a day! Obviously, the social times were different than today. People were much more active, and most foods were naturally grown rather than chemically altered (until of course the microwave became a household item in the late 60s). Although to many of us, drinking a soda several times a day seems a little outrageous because of all of the health problems the chemicals and excessive liquid calories can add, back then it was not such a crazy idea because the lifestyles were different (which I briefly mentioned) and as an above comment stated, it was originally just flavoring and pure cane sugar, which is much less detrimental to our bodies.

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    • Madeline Allen says:

      9 December 2012 at 10:01 pm

      This is a subject I try to make as many people aware of as I can. There are endless numbers of things in today’s food market that we really shouldn’t be putting into our bodies, but drinking to much pop is one that can be adressed more simply. I know plenty of people that drink pop daily and/or when they’re thirsty. People don’t realize that thirst is the body telling you to drink WATER, and that pop actually DEhydrates you. Not only that but it takes calcium from your bones (Milk and how good it is for you is a whole other messed up subject…).

      WebMD says that diet sodas are linked to strokes. Also that regular soda is linked to increased blood pressure. Both regular and diet are linked to obesity (which should be obvious with the massive amounts of sugar), kidney damage, and cancers.

      This subject is something I’ll usually mention when someone I know is buying or drinking a pop. It surprises me how many people have absolutely no idea there is anything wrong with it. I like to think that the more people are made aware of it, then maybe they more people they will make aware.

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14. Adam Rababeh says:

    6 December 2012 at 11:44 am

    This article on Dr. Pepper taught me something new today, that it is the oldest soft drink in the U.S. ever. I always thought Coca-Cola was. I researched what the oldest soft drink ever was in the world, and it led me to Vernors Ginger Ale drink (1866), which I’ve grown to love as a kid when i was sick. Ironically, this soft drink company was then bought out by Dr.Pepper and it is still sold today.

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15. Crystal Heidler says:

    6 December 2012 at 2:02 pm

    Even though Dr. Pepper is the oldest soda as far as the U.S is concerned, Coca-Cola became a trademark in 1944 and has been an American company for years and years. Another soda company by the name of town club was founded in the mid 1960’s and was sold in the run down cities and was generally cheeper then the bigger brands such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Pepsi was originally introduced in 1893 and was named “Brad’s Drink” because of it was named after the founder Caleb Bradham (who was a drugstore owner and made the drink himself to sell there), five years later “Brads Drink” became known as “Pepsi-Cola” and then in 1961 became known as just “Pepsi”. “Coca-Cola” and “Pepsi” are two different companies and not just the same company. I have had both the “Pepsi” and “Coca-Cola” brands and I personally have no favorites. They are both good when it comes to slurpees. “Coca-Cola” has many recipes such as the Coca-Colca chocolate cake (http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coca-cola-cake-with-chocolate-ganache) and Coca-Cola chicken wing (or ribs) http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/recipes-coca-cola-chicken-wings.

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16. Benny Marsalese says:

    6 December 2012 at 11:43 pm

    As interesting as it was to see that Dr. Pepper was portrayed as an energy drink in the early nineteen hundreds, I found it interesting to investigate the history of coca cola. After being invented by John Pemberton as an alcohol free french wine in the mid 1800’s, the drink was an instant success. Amazingly, the original name comes from the drinks two main ingredients, cocaine and caffeine. Believe it or not, the original recipe called for five ounces of coca leaf per gallon of syrup, meaning that the first doses of Coca-Cola had an estimated average of nine milligrams of cocaine per glass. And people wonder how it got its kick. The plant uses was removed in 1903, and never returned to the recipe.

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17. Jalynn Neely says:

    7 December 2012 at 2:32 pm

    I use to drink Dr. Pepper all the time, but now I don’t because the taste isn’t the same to me anymore. I read about Dr. Pepper and found out that the drink was created in the 1800’s by Charles Alderten of Waco, Teexas and it was first nationally markted in the U.S in 1904. This is very popluar drink.

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18. Acacia Farley says:

    8 December 2012 at 1:03 am

    For as long as I can remember Dr.Pepper has been my favorite soda. I love the fact that it does not taste like any other soda out there, and that there are 23 flavors in just one soda. I never even knew that there could be a history to a soda. Dr. Pepper was created before the Coca-a-cola company was created, manufacturing in the soda and syrup market. Dr. Pepper is now a universal company, and is distributed around the world.This company does a lot for it community. Dr. Pepper is now a company that has many promotions, and gives students scholarships to go to college.

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19. Sommer Guy says:

    8 December 2012 at 2:26 pm

    This was interesting I would of thought that Dr. Pepper was newer than what it actually is. I’m very curious now about how it got its name. Advertising it as a energy drink was surprising to me considering the time, I didn’t realize that was as important then as it is now. In the 1960’s Dr.pepper introduced Diet Dr.Pepper but people thought it was for diabetics, so they renamed it sugar-free.

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20. Gino Pasquali says:

    8 December 2012 at 5:08 pm

    This news is very interesting to me. Dr. Pepper is one of my favorite sodas if not the favorite. It really is crazy how it was introduced so long ago and is still going on today, that shows the great ingredients and taste in the pop. Charles Alderton is quite a genius for making this drink from being a pharmacist. It would also be interesting if the true reason was found as why Morrison named it Dr.Pepper.

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21. Chris Jones says:

    8 December 2012 at 7:00 pm

    This was a very interesting piece about Dr. Pepper. It had a lot of interesting facts that i didn’t know about. How it was considered an energy drink when it first came out was very fascinating. It got me thinking how it got its name and its amazing to know how old it really is. It was fun to know that it was made before Coca-a-Cola and I love Coke products. Learning about new things everyday is always fun and interesting.

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22. Chris Jones says:

    8 December 2012 at 9:28 pm

    The reason for the making of Dr. Pepper is because everyone wanted something other than water. they wanted something that tasted good. The greeks and romans did the same with wine because they were sick of sick so they wanted something that tasted good. Dr. Pepper at the time was sold dirt cheap so people would buy a lot of it same as in ancient times. People wanted that flavorful goodness.

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23. Trevor Corn says:

    9 December 2012 at 2:50 pm

    Wow, didnt know that Dr.Pepper was the oldest soft drink, glad its my favorite.

    Looked up some of the name origen theories and apparently in 1972, Dr Pepper sued the Coca-Cola company for trademark infringement based on a soft drink marketed by Coca-Cola sold as “Peppo”. They tried naming it Dr. Pibb, which was also determined to violate the trademark. The soft drink was later renamed Mr Pibb. Dang, Mr.Pibb and Dr.Pepper sure sound like similar drinks. Reminds me of how often I get Fanta confused with Faygo.

    Yes, most soft drinks were originally sold as some form of energy drink, I believe the first slogan was “King of benerages” in 1891, and progressed to “Drink a Bite to Eat at 10, 2, and 4 o’clock” in 1920. Stuff like that could never pass in todays world.

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24. Charlie Harrison says:

    9 December 2012 at 7:09 pm

    I’m not the biggest fan of drinking a Dr. Pepper, but I do find this article interesting to say the least! Millions of people today still drink the popular beverage and it’s almost a safe assumption that Dr. pepper is here to stay. My first pop was a drink called Surge, a beverage that took the scene by storm in 1996. Eversince then i loved soda, especially Surge, which was my favorite. Unfortunately, there is no more Surge soda, which may or may not be the reason I stopped drinking pop all together. So in a contest that was never really close, Dr. Pepper stands tall, while Surge is history.

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    • Charlie Harrison says:

      9 December 2012 at 9:04 pm

      Surge, my favorite soda, was made by Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola took the United States by storm in 1944. Coca-Cola was made by a man named John Pemberton. John wanted to make a non alcoholic beverage and in 1886 created Coca-Cola. 110 years later Coca-Cola products made Surge and while it wasn’t a huge success it will always have a place in my mind as the best pop to hit the market.

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25. Zach Yates says:

    9 December 2012 at 7:19 pm

    Although ginger ale was introduced in 1851, Dr Pepper is considered the first soft drink. This unique beverage jumpstarted a history of carbonated drinks with the next one, Coco-Cola, invented by John Pemberton in 1886 in Georgia. Coca-Cola quickly became a best seller followed by Pepsi-Cola invented in 1898 by Caleb Bradham. As the soda industry progressed, new flavors developed as well as products used to house them. In 1952, the first diet drink was sold as the “No-Cal Beverage” and in 1957 the first aluminum cans were used to sell carbonated beverages. A few years later, in 1970, carbonated beverages became available in plastic bottles. As time continues to go forward, more innovations are occurring and will continue.

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26. jtaylor says:

    9 December 2012 at 9:23 pm

    It’s amazing that they encouraged consumers to drink the beverage 3 times a day. I also like how based on the advertisement it appears their target audience was children. Although it doesn’t seem the contents of the drink have changed, the views of the public on health has. Nowadays obesity in adolescents has become so common, that an advertisement such as this would never air.

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27. Chris Long says:

    9 December 2012 at 9:39 pm

    Dr. pepper is the one pop that I do not enjoy, therefore I am not familiar with it. Its very interesting to see that it was invented by a pharmacist and started off as being known as an energy drink. I believe it was coca cola that started off in a similar fashion

    -Chris Long

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28. Gary L. Johnson says:

    9 December 2012 at 10:44 pm

    This article was rather interesting and it brought forth an idea that i have always found to be very interesting. Sadly the only thing this idea actually has in common with this is the subject of soda pop. Back during World War I (not entirely sure), Coca Cola was a very “American” thing. Soldiers used to pose for war effort pictures with bottles or entire cases of Coca Cola. This led to Russia implementing a ban on Coca Cola in Russia. This was an absolutely amazing business opportunity for Pepsi. Pepsi immediately jumped on the chance to corner a market that, at the time, was completely empty in Russia. I always just found this to be interesting. My friends and I all still crack jokes about how Pepsi is “communist” because they supplied Russia with delicious cola during a war with America. It really was just business, but the idea is still funny and also educational.

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29. Tabitha Watkins says:

    9 December 2012 at 10:45 pm

    I find it interesting that Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store was the first pharmacy to carry Dr. Pepper since the first pharmacy to carry Coca Cola was Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. Jacob’s Pharmacy advertised Coca Cola as being a tonic to help headaches and hangovers. There are two drugstores people claim to be the “first” drugstore in America. One drugstore was located in New Orleans back in 1823 and the second one dated back to the Revolutionary War in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It wasn’t until the Civil War era that drugstores really boomed. Drug stores back then focused on selling products to helping soldiers like pain medications and bandages. —- Tabitha Watkins

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30. Clariss_riss3 says:

    9 December 2012 at 11:03 pm

    When looking at this article my jaw dropped when I read that Dr.Pepper was known to be the first soda pop to get out on the market. I always thought Coca Cola was the first drink, since I was use to always hear stories about what the inventors of Coca Cola put in their drink at the beginning, and I did not know much about Dr. Pepper to begin with. Dr. Pepper is known as my sister’s favorite drink, and although I do not drink much pop to begin with, Dr. Pepper is my second favorite pop.

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    • Clarissa Berg says:

      9 December 2012 at 11:54 pm

      ^ -Clarissa Berg

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31. Nick Kalte says:

    10 December 2012 at 1:21 pm

    I am actually very excited to hear that Dr. Pepper started before anything else, because that is my favorite drink. Originally it was Dr. Pepper, than the period was dropped in the 1950s. In the early 1900s, dr pepper was known as the “king of beverages”. It was liked more than any other beverage by a long shot. Adoctor with a top hat and monocle became the trademark character for dr pepper in the 1920s and 1930s. I like how you said it was known as an energy drink because yes you are right. It was proven that the sugar in it gave people the “boost” they needed and it was used almost like coffee now a days. It has 23 fruit flavors to it than make it taste so delicious and make it, in my opinion, better tasting than any of the others.

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32. Steve Barnhart says:

    11 December 2012 at 8:11 pm

    Homeless in Detroit.
    Dr. Pepper in the early 2000’s was caught in the middle of two of the local beverage distributors as to who had the rights on the product. The Dr.Pepper/Seven Up Group or American Bottling Company believed that they should have the rights to bottle Dr. Pepper here in Detroit. The Coco-Cola comapny had the rights to DP in a political move by the Dr. Pepper Group to have Coke help launch a few new items. The debate and controversy was so bad at one point that the American Bottling Co threatened to stop production on all of Dr. Pepper/Seven Up products until they could bottle Dr. Pepper. The issue was resolved here locally with Coke giving back to American Bottling the rights to bottle and distribute a few lesser, but up and coming beverages. Little did Coke know at the time that one of the beverages that they gave up would be the second leading seller in the fastest growing beverage category ever! Monster Energy Drink.

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