1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 There is something very, very bizarre about a can of soda.&amp;nbsp; How did this sugary, bubbly beverage – dark brown, or neon orange, or grape, or whatever color Mountain Dew is – how did THIS become such an influential force in American culture?&amp;nbsp; This is the strange and inconceivable story of how the modern soft drink was created. It's a story in four parts -- 1) At the start of the 19th century, two dueling soda fountains in lower Manhattan would set the stage for a century of mass consumption. 2) Soft drinks weren't just tasty. For over a century, many believed they could provide a litany of cures to some of man's most vexing ills. It's from this snake-oil salesmanship that we get many of today's top soft-drink brands. 3) Coca-Cola may pride itself on its 'secret formula', but in fact that formula has frequently changed since&amp;nbsp;the 1880s, when a Confederate war veteran first invented this magical brew mixing three exotic ingredients -- cocaine, wine and kola nut.&amp;nbsp; 4) Soft drinks have professed to relieve many physical ills. By the 1950s they even attempted to promote weight loss. But the rise of diet drinks sparked a marketing war with manufacturers of one of their most reliable (and delicious) ingredients. &amp;nbsp; The First: Stories of Inventions and their Consequences https://www.boweryboyshistory.com <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5464952/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/15713414