Coca-Cola inventor John Pemberton's original profession was pharmacist.
Pemberton was a pharmacist and former Confederate lieutenant colonel who developed Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1886. His first recipe was sold as a flavored syrup intended to be mixed with carbonated water. The drink was marketed at soda fountains, which were often operated by pharmacies in the nineteenth century.
Pemberton had earlier experimented with medicinal preparations, including a drink called Pemberton's French Wine Coca. After alcohol restrictions affected that product, he created a nonalcoholic version that became Coca-Cola. The original formula contained coca-leaf extracts and kola-nut ingredients, both associated with caffeine.
A common mix-up is calling Pemberton the sole business founder of the modern Coca-Cola Company. He created the formula, but businessman Asa Griggs Candler later acquired the rights and built the company into a major brand. The drink's name and branding therefore became much bigger than its inventor's pharmacy business.