World War II and the Cola War

As America fought the Axis, cola soft drinks fought each other

Convalescing servicemen at a Paris hospital gather around a Coca-Cola dispenser during World War II, Wikimedia Commons, public domain

There was another war going on in the United States in the 1940s — one that had started long ago: The Cola War.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola, the two leading American cola brands, were both created in drug stores in the South. Atlanta, Georgia pharmacist John Pemberton conceived of a brown carbonated drink with a distinctive taste in 1886. It was named “Coca-Cola” by his partner, Frank Robinson, who also designed the iconic script brand name. Former medical student and New Bern, North Carolina drug store owner Caleb Bradham invented “Brad’s Drink” in 1893, renaming it “Pepsi-Cola” in 1898.

Early on, Coke and Pepsi had “Cola” in their names, a similar product appearance, logos that looked alike and (some would say) a taste that was nearly identical. It isn’t surprising, then, that Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola duked it out for market share from the very beginning.

Coca-Cola on the Offensive in World War II

Vintage Coca-Cola sign by Dsdugan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Coca-Cola was already an internationally popular soft drink when World War II started. The soft…