Dr. John Stith Pemberton (1831-1888) was a pharmacist, inventor, and Confederate States Army veteran. In 1886, he created an early version of a drink that evolved into what we know as Coca-Cola. His version consisted of alcohol and cocaine and was called, “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca.” He made this drink to help manage his pain after receiving a saber wound during the Battle of Columbus of the Civil War.

While he died in Atlanta, he is buried in Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia. Whenever I visit, someone has left a memento on his marker. It’s usually a bottle of Coke.