"When Coca-Cola launched the ill-fated New Coke, news accounts said the change in Coke's legendary flavor formula was the first in the company's 99-year history.
But back when Coke got started, the company led the public to believe that the coca shrub--the source of cocaine--provided one of the ingredients, giving consumers that extra lift that we now associate with mirrors, tiny spoons, and rolled-up hundred-dollar bills.
Of course back then cocaine was legal and sold over the counter. So how can Coke say the formula hasn't changed in 99 years? Has cocaine been part of their formula up till now? Or were they misleading the public back in 1886? Did they change the formula when cocaine became illegal?"
