Summary: Coca-Cola’s legacy began in 1886 when a druggist named John “Doc” Pemberton sold the syrup that he used in his drugstore fountain drinks. Asa Candler purchased the formula after Pemberton’s death, and devoted $50,000 a year to advertising. Coca-Cola was constantly embroiled in legal battles to keep copycat products off the market, a fight eventually won through the patenting of a uniquely-shaped bottle. Coca-Cola and its advertising have both become a part of American culture. Phil Mooney and Coca-Cola archivist Rick Allen (author of Secret Formula, a history of Coke) comment
