The saga began in 1886, when John S. Pemberton developed the original recipe for Coke. Here's what was in it:
Pepsi-Cola was created in 13 years later by pharmacist Caleb Bradham
Coca-Cola was already selling a million gallons per year by the time Pepsi entered the market.
Coke developed its iconic contour bottle, got big name endorsements and expanded to Europe. Meanwhile, Pepsi went bankrupt because of WWI.
Pepsi went bankrupt again eight years later, but this time it rebounded.
During WWII, Pepsi amped up its advertising and started selling its drink in cans.
In the 50s, Coke ads started hitting TV, while Pepsi rebranded to try to keep up.
Coke decided to go public in 1962, on the heels of its launch of Sprite, which would become one of its most successful brands.
Pepsi merged with Frito Lay in the mid-60s to create PepsiCo, setting the stage for the war today. Diet drinks popped up too, creating a whole new soda segment.
Here are their stock values over the years. Pepsi's successful foray into the snack food biz with Frito Lay have helped it significantly, especially in the past decade. Meanwhile, Coke has stayed strictly in beverages.
Coke has a big lead in cola market share over Pepsi, but Pepsi's multiple business lines haul in more cash.
Here are some of Coke's biggest brands -- 15 of them have reached $1 billion or more in retail sales.
Though Pepsi's beverage brands may not be as strong, its snack food business is enormous.
They've both embraced the digital world as social media gets bigger and bigger across the globe.
