London. Jacob Sweppe, a Swiss emigrant, opens a carbonated drinks company that still bears his name. Joseph Priestley, a few years earlier, had dedicated himself to the study of “fixed air” (now known as carbon dioxide). His studies, begun in 1767, culminated in 1772 with the publication of “Instructions for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air” (essentially, bubbling the gas released by the reaction of sulfuric acid and limestone through ordinary water). This was the first drinkable carbonated water. However, it was Jacob Sweppe who would capitalize on this discovery.
