John Stith Pemberton
American pharmacist, inventor of Coca-Cola (1831-1888)
- Fame59.0
- Momentum3.9
- Scientists rank#83
Source-basedStable
- Fame59.0
- Momentum3.9
- Scientists rank#83
- Wikipedia32.6K
Lived 1831–1888, aged 57United States
United StatesSummary
Updated 2026-06-21
He mixed the syrup that became Coca-Cola in 1886, then sold the whole thing for roughly $2,300 and died two years later. The formula came from chasing relief: a Civil War sabre wound left him morphine-dependent, and his experiments with painkillers and cocaine yielded the drink that would outlive him by more than a century.
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John Stith Pemberton was an American pharmacist and chemist who served as a Confederate States Army officer. In April 1865, during the Battle of Columbus, he took a sabre wound that left him in chronic pain. His attempts to manage it led to morphine addiction. Searching for an alternative, he began experimenting with painkillers and toxins, developing a beverage that blended alcohol and cocaine. On May 8, 1886, he adapted that recipe into an early version of what would become Coca-Cola. Shortly before his death in 1888, he sold the rights to Asa Griggs Candler for roughly $2,300.
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Fame
Stable59.0
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum3.9
Historical23.2
Now attention4.0
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
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- Pantheon 2.0High confidencedatabase · pantheon.world
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