false 3872 11 <div><div>From beer to Coca-Cola, the six drinks that have helped shape human history<br>Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period. <br><br><i>A History of the World in 6 Glasses</i> tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Beer was first made in the Fertile Crescent and by 3000 B.C.E. was so important to Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. In ancient Greece wine became the main export of her vast seaborne trade, helping spread Greek culture abroad. Spirits such as brandy and rum fueled the Age of Exploration, fortifying seamen on long voyages and oiling the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffeehouses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became especially popular in Britain, with far-reaching effects on British foreign policy. Finally, though carbonated drinks were invented in 18th-century Europe they became a 20th-century phenomenon, and Coca-Cola in particular is the leading symbol of globalization.<br><br>For Tom Standage, each drink is a kind of technology, a catalyst for advancing culture by which he demonstrates the intricate interplay of different civilizations. You may never look at your favorite drink the same way again.<br></div></div> 7600 2005 A History of the World in 6 Glasses total:770|5:127|4:331|3:240|2:64|1:8| 770 2815 1454 206 4 0 false false Mon Jan 05 22:14:15 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 22:23:25 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Oct 29 11:00:40 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 11:01:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 20:47:21 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 21:13:19 -0700 2009
With a clever ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 11:51:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 15:24:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 22:08:27 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 22:08:27 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Jul 06 06:25:59 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 06 06:29:45 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jul 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 17:16:02 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 17:11:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 06:41:57 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 19:30:37 -0700 2009
Up until that point, it was a p...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Apr 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 10:21:55 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 24 17:14:28 -0700 2009
The book is organized roughly chronologically based on when these beverages (beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca Cola) had the most influence. So as you read about the history of beer, you ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 08:46:17 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 14:41:03 -0700 2009
"A History of the World in Six Glasses" seeks to explain how the course of human history was influenced by beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and Coca Cola, in less than 200 pages. And why not? Tom Standage must have ha...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Sun Mar 22 21:42:53 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 21:49:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 true false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat May 10 07:12:55 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 05 19:04:41 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 19 05:31:41 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 23 09:16:51 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 15 15:22:20 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 15:28:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Feb 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 13:39:42 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 14 10:24:15 -0800 2009
I had no ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Nov 24 23:55:10 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 25 00:01:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 18 00:24:32 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 00:29:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 17 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 15:19:43 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 03 07:33:03 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Aug 12 15:55:52 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 12 17:46:24 -0700 2008
Aided by the fact I rode into the city the past two days (flash training), i actually got to sit and read. It was kinda nice. Back to the book.

I loved.

It star...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon May 19 10:57:42 -0700 2008 Wed May 21 13:00:36 -0700 2008 But did you know that the Greeks mixed their wine with water? I didn't. How about that Coca Cola was not readily available behind the Iron Curtain but that Pepsi was? That Rum was almost free to produce as unus...more...]]>