Back in the late 1800s, pharmacists had to have something to operate out of, so they opened their little drug stores. But since people weren’t sick every day of the week, they needed extra income. Many of them installed soda bars, and being men of creative whims and chemical knowledge, began tinkering with recipes for new drinks. Thus was born the modern day cola wars. 

Hard on the heels of Coca-Cola’s appearance in Atlanta, Georgia in 1886, came another cola drink invented by pharmacist Caleb Bradham of North Carolina, in 1893. It was a simple little recipe, just vanilla, carbonated water, sugar, oils, cola nuts and the ingredient that would eventually give the drink its name: pepsin.

For although it started life as “Brad’s Drink”, Pepsi-Cola had been born, and the name was changed to reflect the pepsin content in 1898. It would be trademarked in 1903, and ninety-seven shares sold for the new cola, with a snappy logo designed by Bradham’s artist neighbor.

Just as they had similar formulas and ingredients, the two cola competitors, would often suffer from the same problems, chiefly the rise and fall of sugar prices during WWI that caused bankruptcies for the firms owning both at the time.

Bradham sold out after the sugar fiasco, and in 1931 it was purchased by the Loft Candy Company, whose president Charles Guth, struggled to keep it afloat. And in one of the biggest business mistakes of all time, he offered the formula and name to Coca-Cola, who declined to bid on it.

But the fortunes of Pepsi soldiered on. In 1940, the first advertising jingle was broadcast. It was “Nickel, Nickel” an ad for Pepsi, referring to the price. Not only did it become a number one hit, but it was recorded in fifty-five languages.