Short answers, pulled from the story.
Joseph Priestley invented carbonated water in 1767 and published his findings in 1772 under the title Impregnating Water with Fixed Air. He observed that water absorbed carbon dioxide gas when suspended above fermenting beer at a brewery in Leeds, England. This discovery became the defining component of the modern soft drink industry.
Johann Jacob Schweppe founded the Schweppes Company in Geneva in 1783 to sell bottled versions of carbonated water. He relocated his business to London by 1792, where it gained popularity among notable figures like Erasmus Darwin. The company became the official drink supplier for the Great Exhibition in 1851.
The 2003 Harvard Dialect Survey revealed that over half of respondents in the United States preferred the term soda, while 25% preferred pop, primarily in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. In English-speaking parts of Canada, pop was prevalent, but soft drink was the most common term in Montreal. Genericized trademark coke was used by 12% of respondents, mostly in the Southern United States.
Studies link the over-consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks to obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dental caries, and low nutrient levels. A 2007 study determined that some flavored sparkling waters were as erosive or more so than orange juice regarding tooth enamel. A 2006 study found that women who regularly drank cola-based sodas had significantly lower bone mineral density of about 4% in the hip.
On the 3rd of May 2006, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and major beverage companies announced guidelines to voluntarily remove high-calorie soft drinks from all U.S. schools. On the 19th of May 2006, the British education secretary, Alan Johnson, announced new minimum nutrition standards that would end the sale of carbonated drinks in school lunches and vending machines from September 2006. The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 mandated that schools receiving federal funding must offer healthy snacks and drinks to students.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain imposed a 50% tax on soft drinks and a 100% tax on energy drinks to curb excess consumption. In January 2013, a British lobby group called for the price of sugary fizzy drinks to be increased to fund a Children's Future Fund. In 2022, the Mexican state of Oaxaca enacted a ban on sugary drinks, including notably Coca-Cola, though it was poorly enforced.