Jacobs' Pharmacy in Atlanta, where Coca-Cola was first sold in 1886
1886: Dr John Pemberton produced the syrup for for Coca-Cola and carried a jug down the street to Jacobs' Pharmacy, where it was sold for 5 cents a glass
1906: Countries outside the US - Cuba, Canada ana Panama - began bottling the drink
1916: The iconic contour bottle - so distinctive it could be recognised in the dark - was introduced to distinguish Coca-Cola from competitors
1931: Artist Haddon Sundblom's Santa Claus first appeared in ads for Coca-Cola. This image of Santa - shown as a plump, jolly, friendly man - helped shape the modern-day image of St. Nick
1969: The Beatles name-checked Coca-Cola in their song Come Together
1982: Soft-drink history was made with the introduction of Diet Coke, the most successful new soft drink since Coca-Cola itself. Within two years, Diet Coke had become the top low-calorie soft drink in the world
1985: The drink became the first soft drink to be consumed in space when astronauts tested the Coca-Cola Space Can aboard Space Shuttle Challenger
2006: Cheryl Cole signed up to promote Coca-Cola's sugar free drink Coke Zero
Present: The world's top soft drinks maker reported a net income of £3.58bn for the fourth quarter of 2010