You might think of Coca-Cola as an iconic American brand… and you’d be right. But: it was born in the South. How did Coke’s Atlanta birthplace shape what the soft drink became? And how has Coke shaped the South? It’s a story that includes many surprising twists turns, from Civil War wounds to temperance movements, racist fears to philanthropy, small town soda jerks to Peruvian coca farmers.

You can find Bart Elmore’s book “Citizen Coke: the Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism” here.

Here’s an article by Ted Ryan, the archivist at Coca-Cola, about the contributions the company has made to Atlanta, both philanthropically and to the city’s business environment.