Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What soda was the first to be sold in a 2-liter bottle?

Coca-Cola
Pepsi
Mountain Dew
Sprite

Correct Answer: Pepsi

So why is this answer correct? : In the late 1960s, while working for DuPont Corporation, inventor Nathaniel Wyeth began working on a new type of plastic bottle that wouldn’t expand when storing carbonated beverages. In 1970, the company filed a patent for the “biaxially oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottle,” and that same year, Pepsi designed the first 2-liter soda bottle. The new big-bottle concept helped Pepsi battle its way onto supermarket shelves and into family homes that often ran out of Coke, which was served only in 6.5-ounce bottles. The new bottles were among the catalysts that launched the Cola Wars of the 1980s.

Trivia: What soda brand promoted drinking its product hot during the 1960s?

Dr Pepper
Sunkist
7UP
Sierra Mist

Correct Answer: Dr Pepper

So why is this answer correct? : In the 1960s, Dr Pepper promoted drinking its product hot during the colder months. The brand saw sales plummet during the holiday season, and tried to recoup the loss by telling customers that their beverage could be enjoyed warmed up. Though the advertisements are long gone, the company website still suggests heating the beverage to 180 degrees Fahrenheit in a saucepan before pouring it over a thin slice of lemon, if the urge strikes you.

Trivia: What was the first soda brand to be sold in an all-aluminum can?

A&W
Fanta
RC Cola
Mr. Pibb

Correct Answer: RC Cola

So why is this answer correct? : In 1954, RC Cola became the first brand to replace glass bottles with a lighter and cheaper option: aluminum cans. By 1967, major brands such as Pepsi and Coke followed suit. RC Cola launched in 1905 and was originally named Royal Crown Cola, but shortened its name in 1934. The brand was also the first to offer low-calorie diet cola and caffeine-free soda.

Trivia: Created in the 1950s, Sprite was originally part of what line of drinks?

Coca-Cola
Fanta
Pepsi
Crush

Correct Answer: Fanta

So why is this answer correct? : Now owned by Coca-Cola, Sprite was originally part of a different major drink brand: Fanta. It was called “Clear Lemon Fanta” and was developed in Germany in 1959. Two years later, it was introduced in the U.S. as “Sprite.” Heavily marketed to children and teens, the drink grew wildly popular after its 1961 introduction. By 1967, Sprite was available in 39 countries, and today, the lemon-lime flavored soda is sold in over 190 countries.

Trivia: What is NOT a real Pepsi flavor?

Salty Watermelon
Strawberry milk
Cucumber
Banana

Correct Answer: Banana

So why is this answer correct? : Pepsi has released many new and limited edition flavors throughout the years, but some of the most fascinating are released in Japan. In November 2011, Pepsi released the limited edition “Pepsi Pink,” a strawberry milk flavored drink said to taste like strawberry cream soda. A bright green soda called Pepsi Ice Cucumber hit the shelves for the summer 2007, and in June 2012, Pepsi Salty Watermelon made its debut. Other unique Japanese Pepsi flavor additions include mojito, baobab, coffee, and cherry blossom.

Trivia: Who developed a way to manufacture bottled carbonated drinks?

John Jacob Schweppe
Doctor Charles Pepper
F. R. Seaman
Charles Goodyear

Correct Answer: John Jacob Schweppe

So why is this answer correct? : While an English scientist named Joseph Priestley is often regarded as the “father of the soft drink industry” due to his 18th century experiments attempting to infuse gas into water, John Jacob Schweppe is one of the first to actually manufacture carbonated mineral water. In 1783, Schweppe successfully constructed a device that replicated Priestly’s results, changing the soft drink industry forever. From Geneva, Switzerland, the business expanded to England, where it grew in popularity. Schweppes was eventually purchased by American company Coca-Cola.

Trivia: Originally called “Brad’s Drink,” what soda allegedly cured indigestion?

Fanta
Sprite
A&W Root Beer
Pepsi

Correct Answer: Pepsi

So why is this answer correct? : Like so many other sodas, Pepsi began as a medicinal drink at a pharmacy. Caleb Bradham believed that his new drink, sold in New Bern, North Carolina, was a healthy treatment to aid indigestion. After it began to grow in popularity, Bradham changed the drink’s name to “Pepsi-Cola” in 1898 and trademarked it in 1903. That same year, Bradham moved into his first warehouse, officially launching his bottling company. There are a few theories about where the Pepsi name came from, but none have been confirmed by the company.

Trivia: Root beer is made using the root bark of what tree?

Sassafras
Cherry
Chestnut
Sweetgum

Correct Answer: Sassafras

So why is this answer correct? : Sassafras root was once the main flavor ingredient in root beer. Since 1860, traditional root beer was flavored with sassafras, sarsaparilla (a vine), licorice root, mint, nutmeg, and other spices, but the use of sassafras in medicinal beverages by American indigenous people dates back much further. Today, artificial sassafras root flavoring is used for root beers because of questions about the safety of ingesting the real root.

Trivia: Where does the name “cola” originate from?

A type of sugar
A type of nut
An inventor
A hometown

Correct Answer: A type of nut

So why is this answer correct? : The kola nut is a caffeine-containing nut in the cocoa family. It’s native to Africa, but mostly cultivated in the American tropics, where it was dried and sold to be used in medicines and sodas. This is where Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola got their names. Today, American and European soft drink companies use synthetic chemicals and flavors that resemble the taste of the kola nut.

Trivia: What is the oldest major soft drink brand in America?

Dr Pepper
Moxie
Coca-Cola
Jones Soda

Correct Answer: Dr Pepper

So why is this answer correct? : A young pharmacist named Charles Alderton made beverage history in 1885 when he began selling his new soda concoction at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas. He gave his new drink to some of his customers and received rave reviews. Dubbed the “Waco,” it became a staple at Morrison’s soda fountain, and soon other soda fountains were purchasing the syrup for the mixture. This led to the creation of the Artesian Mfg. & Bottling Company, which later became the Dr Pepper Company. Morrison is sometimes credited for changing the name from Waco to Dr Pepper, but there are multiple origin stories up for debate.