History Amanda Richins
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Dr Pepper was first served in 1885 in the small town of Waco, Texas. It has since grown to be one of the most reputable and popular soft drinks in existence. Dr Pepper was created by Charles Alderton, a pharmacist at the corner drug store in Waco. While he spent most of his time mixing medicine for the people of his town, he became very intrigued by the soda fountain and carbonated drinks. He began keeping journals and experimenting with different flavored syrup combinations. After numerous attempts, Alderton, found the perfect mixture.
Mr. Morrison, the owner of the drug store, is credited with taste testing many of Aldertons concoctions in hopes of helping him find this legendary mixture. Dr Pepper quickly became a hit with the town people and many would ask Alderton to "shoot them a Waco"! Dr Pepper received its name from Morrison but it is unknown on how it came to mind. |
Other soda fountain workers in Waco began purchasing the popular syrup from Morrison and Alderton. Soon this became a problem because the two men couldn't keep up with the demand of the famous drink. Luckily, a beverage chemist named Robert Lazenby, came to the rescue. In 1891 the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company was opened by Morrison and Lazenby. This company later became known as the Dr Pepper Company. Dr Pepper became known to the world in 1904 at the Worlds Fair in St Louis when it was debuted. For this company, it was all uphill from there. Today there are nine signature Dr Pepper drinks from Cherry/Vanilla to Caffeine Free.
How History Was Made
Over the years, Dr Pepper has had dozens and dozens of slogans, looks, and signage. Some of the most popular were "Drink the Year Round" in 1890 and "King of Beverages" in 1910. In the 1940's Dr Pepper was the drink that had "Three Good Times to Enjoy Life More". One of the most popular campaigns was that of the late 1970's, "Im a Pepper". In the 1980's, while celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Dr. Pepper, their slogan was "The One and Only". In the 2000's it was known as the drink that was "Just What the Dr Ordered" as well as the drink that "Makes the World Taste Better". Most recent are the "Always One of a Kind" and "Amazingly Smooth" slogans. Leave it to Dr Pepper to make us smile and keep us coming back for more.
Dr Pepper and Music Kieran Wright
Over the years, many people have enjoyed the taste of Dr Pepper, and that includes some of the biggest musical icons in history; Not only did they enjoy Dr Pepper, but sometimes it was even responsible for shaping their creative work. The first major impact Dr Pepper had on music was indirect, yet it shaped a very pivotal album in Rock & Roll: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, by the Beatles, was originally supposed to be called Dr. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. That was until Paul McCartney was informed that Dr Pepper was a trademarked soft drink in America. This was before the drink had even gone international. Not long after, John Lennon fell in love with the drink, and during his "Imagine" sessions in England he would request to have the drink shipped to him in crates from the U.S., as Dr Pepper was still not available in the United Kingdom, and Lennon claimed he needed it to "fuel his creativity."
Over the years, Dr Pepper continued to cast its spell on famous musicians. The Beach Boys, Cher, and ZZ Top are just a few of the notable musicians infatuated with the drink. They all demanded in their contracts that Dr Pepper be available for them backstage before and after each of their concerts. Some Dr Pepper antagonists have claimed that these demands by musical artists are evidence that Dr Pepper has a tendency to be addictive, however, I think it's just in demand because it is a very delicious drink. Rock on Dr Pepper, rock on.
Where Dr Pepper Stands Today
Today Dr Pepper is produced by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which was recently named #318 on a Forbes list of the largest companies in the world. This is significant, because it means that the Dr Pepper Snapple Group is now officially larger than Coca-Cola. In 2010, Dr Pepper was found to have ascended to the ranks of the soft drink elites when it was found to be the #5 most popular soft drink among Americans, behind only Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew. With an income of 316,000,000 U.S. Dollars in 2014, and an official net worth of about 836,000,000 U.S. Dollars, it is safe to say that Dr Pepper has made quite the journey from its humble beginnings in a small pharmacy in Waco, Texas, to its current status as a global soft drink giant. Dr Pepper truly is The Drink of the Century.