Short answers, pulled from the story.
The world's first written mention of the word wódka appeared in 1405 within Akta Grodzkie court documents from the Palatinate of Sandomierz in Poland. At that time, the term referred to chemical compounds such as medicines and cosmetics cleansers rather than a beverage.
J. A. Baczewski opened the first industrial distillery in Lwów in 1782. This event marked the start of real industrial production following centuries of cottage industry operations in Poland.
Vodka belt nations include Belarus Estonia Finland Iceland Latvia Lithuania Norway Poland Russia Sweden and Ukraine. These regions traditionally drink vodka neat without mixing it with water ice or other mixers.
Clear vodka production became a Polish government monopoly in 1925. Regulations entered into force in 2008 defining vodka as spirits made only from grain or potatoes after campaigns by traditional producers.
Death toll estimates list at least 120 dead and more than 1,000 poisoned from severe jaundice caused by industrial disinfectant Extrasept in March 2007. Estimates of annual death tolls resulting from vodka consumption extend up to thousands in Russia.