Priestley Pop
Priestley Puts the Pop in Soda Pop
This article originally appeared in Pennsylvania Trail of History Cookbook
Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) was an English theologian, teacher, and natural philosopher who in 1794 settled in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, where he built a home complete with a chemical laboratory for carrying out his continuing work in science. Today the Joseph Priestley House in Northumberland County showcases his life and his work.
Most often recognized for discovering the element oxygen in 1771 while living in Calne, England, Priestley is also hailed for his description of the process of carbonation, for which the Royal Society awarded him its highly desired Copley Prize in 1773. Priestley's "sparkling" discovery is said by many to have led to the development of the modern soft-drink industry. In 1767, the first drinkable man-made glass of carbonated water was created by Priestley. The manufacture of soft drinks didn't begin until the 1830s, however, with the introduction of bottled soda water, some flavored with birch bark, dandelions, sarsaparilla, and fruit extracts. In 1861, the term "pop" was first coined. Root beer was mass produced by 1876, and in 1881, the first cola-flavored beverage was introduced. Eighteenth-century science has been translated into a twentiety-century institution, thanks to Joseph Priestley.
Visit
Joseph Priestley House, Northumberland, PA
The American home and laboratory of the discoverer of oxygen.
For Further Reading
Pennsylvania Trail of History Cookbook Edited by Kyle R. Weaver, Diane B. Reed, and Fred Lauver Forward by William Woys Weaver Stackpole Books and Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 2004 |
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Joseph Priestley House: Pennsylvania Trail of History Guide by Alison Duncan Hirsch Stackpole Books and Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 2003 |