"A History of World in 6 Glasses"
By: Tom Standage
Many major things helped shape the history of the world. One, very unacknowledged commodity that molded the world there is today are beverages. Water is one thing that no life on earth can live without. Many thousands of years ago, small groups of humans had remained near water ways such as "rivers, springs, and lakes" to keep a sustainable amount freshwater in control (Standage, Pg 1). Drinks have shaped human history ever since.
Drinks have been provided for celebration, death, commemorates, social gatherings, and even in business transactions. According to "A History of World in 6 Glasses", "Different drinks have come prominence in different times, places, and cultures"..."Just as archeologist divide history into different periods based on different materials- Stone age, bronze age, iron age and so on- it is also possible to divide world history into periods dominated by different drinks"(Standage, Pg 2). The drinks that this book is referring to are 6 in particular: "beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola" (Standage, Pg 2).
In some cases, beverages have helped making some countries world powers. One example is the coffee and tea in Britain. Tea was very well known in Europe, and helped open trade routes with the East and "underpinned imperialism and industrialization on an unprecedented scale", helping Britain to become the first global world power (Standage, Pg 5). With this as Britain's national drink, maintaining its supply brought many effects such as "contributing to the independence of the United States, and the undermining of China's ancient civilization" (Standage, 5)
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