Pepsi Facts

Pepsi was named after pepsin, the digestive enzyme. Creator Caleb Bradham believed his 1898 drink aided digestion, though it actually contained papain from papaya rather than true pepsin.

Pepsi-Cola was originally called 'Brad's drink'.

In 1989, the Soviet Union traded Pepsi 17 submarines, a cruiser, a frigate, and a destroyer in exchange for Pepsi products. For a brief moment, PepsiCo had the 6th largest submarine fleet in the world. Pepsi's CEO told the National Security Advisor: "We're disarming the Soviet Union faster than you are."

Coca-Cola changed its 99-year-old formula in April 1985 and called the new version, predictably, New Coke. The hotline lit up with 1,500 angry calls a day. A protest group - the Old Cola Drinkers of America - signed up 100,000 members. After 79 days of public fury, Coca-Cola brought the original back as Coca-Cola Classic. New Coke quietly vanished.