The first patented carbonated beverage was not Coca Cola. A Texas pharmacist concocted a 23-flavor blend and got it patented a year before Coke. He gave the formula to the owner of the drug store, who was the one who gave the concoction the name Dr. Pepper. The drug store owner, a man named Morrison, reportedly had earlier lived next door to a Doctor Charles Pepper, and that’s where the name came from. Even the company doesn’t seem to be absolutely sure about that, though.
