With over 200 beverage brands produced and marketed globally, there is nothing trivial about the Coca-Cola Company. Throughout the long and storied history of this remarkable enterprise, however, are many milestones and interesting facts regarding the company's operation and growth. For instance, the first 6-bottle carton of 'Coca-Cola' was sold in New Orleans, Louisiana. The month was March 1923.

This gave rise to a new expression in our language: 'the six-pack.' Company production was recorded before it became more trouble than it was worth. On July 12, 1944, the billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup was produced. Over eight years later, on April 9, 1953, the two billionth gallon of syrup left the factory. Then in May 1959, barely six years later, the three billion gallon mark was reached. Four years later on June 6, 1963, four billion gallons of Coca-Cola syrup had gone out the door, and the interval shortened again. Three years later in 1966, the fifth billionth gallon of syrup was sold, and in January 1969 the six billion gallon mark was surpassed. Two years later, in January 1971, the seven billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup manufactured was sold, the company quit keeping track of the amount -- the billion gallon marks came too frequently.

There are many other 'firsts' recorded by the Coca-Cola Company. The first of a long line of Coca-Cola bottling plants outside the United States appeared in Cuba and Panama in 1906. Originating a phrase used more recently by a coffee company, the slogan 'Good to the last drop' was adopted by Coca-Cola in 1908. There is no end to the creativity used by this company. The first time 'Coke' was used as a trade name in a magazine advertisement: June 1941. It caught on so quickly the name then appeared on bottles less than six months later on December 10, 1941. By 1942, the 'Sprite Boy' was introduced to promote 'Coke.' Nineteen years later, in February 1961, 'Sprite' was released. 'Fanta' flavors appeared in Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco in August 1958. They are the most popular fruit flavored drinks worldwide. 'Diet Coke,' first produced in 1982, is now the most popular brand of diet soft drink in the world.

The amount of Coca-Cola and other beverage brands consumed is staggering to contemplate. Over 7,000 soft drinks from Coca-Cola disappear each second, twenty-four hours a day. This accounts for nearly half of all the soft drinks consumed around the world. As early as the 1950s, gas stations sold more Coca-Cola than motor oil. The total amount of Coca-Cola products to date would supply 'Old Faithful' for about 1,600 years. These are earthly records, but in July 1985, Coke was the first soft drink to be consumed in outer space on the 'Challenger' space shuttle. The company created a special can for use in outer space. Put all the Coca-Cola ever made in those cute little 6 1/2 oz. bottles, stack them up, and they would circle the planet about 12,000 times, or reach to the moon over 1,000 times.

When the United States entered World War II, Coca-Cola was bottled in forty-four different countries. By the end of the conflict, sixty-two new bottling plants were scattered far and wide, to be as close as possible to front-line suppliers. The company was determined to assume a role in the war effort, and pledged to never charge service personnel more than a nickel for a bottle of Coke. This turned out to be a welcome gesture, and US soldiers disposed of over five billion bottles during the war. Not only were members of the military getting Coke cheap, what they received tasted better as a result of sugar rationing for the civilian population. Back in the States, the company was allowed only half the pre-war sugar content in Coke syrup; this did not end until August 1947.

While the war forced some changes for Coca-Cola, whatever losses the company absorbed were quickly erased when peace was established. While the taste of home represented by Coke certainly was of some solace to those serving the cause of democracy, the benefit received by the company was unprecedented. Coca-Cola went to places courtesy of Uncle Sam that it may have taken years, even decades, to reach otherwise. Exposing foreign populations to Coke (with all the sugar!) opened new markets, and afterwards Coca-Cola experienced tremendous expansion all over the world. The surge in demand was so unprecedented that the May 15, 1950, edition of Time magazine featured an advertisement for Coca-Cola on the front cover. It was another 'first' as a product, and the inside article text supporting the cover explained the company's franchising system and global distribution.

Advertising from 'day one' has played a role in the high profile maintained by Coca-Cola. Every few years the company adopts a new slogan, usually accompanied by an advertising blitz, while incorporating their new message in every ad the company uses. It started in 1886, when Frank Robinson suggested 'Drink Coca-Cola,' followed in 1904 by his equally enduring 'Delicious and Refreshing.' After the 1908 "Good to the Last Drop' came and went, in 1922 it was 'Thirst Knows No Season.' At the height of the Roaring Twenties in 1927, Coca-Cola was 'Around the Corner From Anywhere,' while just before the market crash in 1929 it was 'The Pause That Refreshes.'

During the depths of the Great Depression in 1936, 'It's The Refreshing Thing To Do,' quickly followed in 1938 by 'The Best Friend Thirst Ever Had.' The next year, 1939, saw the wordy 'Whoever You Are, Whatever You Do, Wherever You May Be, When You Think of Refreshment Think of Ice Cold Coca-Cola' appeared. By 1948, the company was thinking global more than ever before with 'Where There's Coke There's Hospitality,' and in 1952 drove the message home: 'What You Want Is A Coke.' To round out the decade, in 1956 'Coca-Cola - Makes Good Things Taste Better' tied the product to newfound prosperity, and 'The Cold, Crisp Taste of Coke' in 1958 started the move back to the company's 'simpler is better' philosophy concerning slogans.

By 1963 'Things Go Better With Coke' reinforced the concise message complete with a musical jingle remembered by millions, followed by 'It's The Real Thing' in 1970 using the same strategy. Later in the decade, Coca-Cola said 'have a nice day' with 'Look Up America' in 1975 and 'Have a Coke and a Smile' in 1979. The company started making statements in 1982 with 'Coke Is It!' and 1987's 'You Can't Beat the Real Thing.' Perhaps as a commentary on Coke's longevity, 'Always Coca-Cola' was adopted in 1993, with the latest edition, 'Life Tastes Good' making a debut in 2001.