Joseph Priestley discovered a method for making carbonated water in 1767.
While living in Leeds, England, Priestley conducted experiments near a brewery, where fermenting beer produced carbon dioxide—then called “fixed air.” He suspended a bowl of water over the brewery’s fermentation vessel, allowing the gas to dissolve into the water and create a fizzy drink. His method was an early practical form of artificial carbonation.
Priestley thought the resulting water might have medicinal value, particularly against scurvy. He described the process more fully in his 1772 pamphlet, Directions for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air. The Royal Navy later encouraged improved methods for producing carbonated water on voyages, although carbonation was not itself a cure for scurvy; vitamin C was the essential factor.
A common mix-up is confusing Priestley’s discovery with the commercial soda industry. He demonstrated the principle, but inventors and manufacturers later developed equipment and products that made carbonated drinks widely available.