A History Of The World In 6 Glasses Essay

Even though some of the diseases that caused the colonists to die are not known, it is safe to say that a lot of the sicknesses come from the contaminated water the colonists drank.

What other events did the beverages that Standage mentions influence? While Standage indubitably cherry-picks his best examples, there must be other examples of events that were influenced by these drinks, as world history is very broad.

History can be taught in very unconventional ways. Teaching history highlighting the six main drinks that affected human lives throughout their existence is especially unconventional. In the historic non-fiction book A History of the World in Six Glasses, Tom Standage compels the reader by telling how six drinks, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola, affected the course of history.

First, the fact that the creator of “Drunk History”, Derek Waters, wittingly enlists the help of A-list actor and comedian friends (i.e. Lisa Bonet, Jerry O’Connell, etc.) to silently communicate on behalf of the narrator – who is heavily inebriated, yet comically intoxicating to the viewer – is a brilliance not often seen in mainstream outlets. “Drunk History” is a part of the journalistic entities that innovatively document our historical accounts in a mostly relatable fashion. Furthermore, the culmination of scripted and unscripted performances of these events proves a certain commitment to creative and historical

There are many ways to look at history. Many perspectives from the past that form today. Tom Standage chose to discuss about drinks and how they helped shape the world. In his book, A History of the World in Six Glasses, Standage examines the most popular 6 drinks throughout history to describe how they influenced the development of the world. He takes the reader on an odyssey from the mesopotamian era to the 21st century and from beer to Coca Cola, proving that what was thought to be irrelevant to history has affected it by sparking revolutions and advancing scientific and intellectual movements. One wonders after reading this book if a pen and a paper or a spoon and a knife have their own history that has helped shape the world in another

In a History of the Worlds in Six Glasses, Tom Standage describes beer as one of the oldest beverage. According to Standage the discovery of beer was around 10,000 BCE, it was made from grain that grew in the region called Fertile that could be stored and made wet or soaked to turn into beer (p 15). Beer was shared with several people and goes on to become a social drink. Standage goes on to explain about another beverage made with wild grapes vines produced between 9000 and 4000 BCE in northern Iran (p 47). Wine became a symbol of social differentiation and a form of conspicuous consumption. In this essay I will describe how Tom Stranger’s text discusses the relationship between beer and wine with their social behaviors and their

Tom Standage’s A History of the World in 6 Glasses takes history and six beverages and connects them to make them one. The beverages spread all over history, from the first civilizations, to Greece and Rome, the age of exploration, the scientific age, the rise of one of the greatest empires of the world, and the rise of America. He connects the drinks to politics, science, philosophy, conflicts, and several more aspects of history. His writing spans many locations around the world whether it is in Europe, Asia, Africa, or the Americas. He connects History to the beverages that we may think have a simple story, but once the book closes there is a newfound complexity to a favorite beverage.

This time, he sailed to Montreal and discovered great riches. During the time, the men developed scurvy, and 25 died before Cartier asked the Chief's one for help. The medicine that they had was a tea from a white cedar tree.

Admiral Edward Vernon added sugar and lime juice to rum in order to make it more palatable. This cocktail became known as grog. Sailors often died from scurvy during this period, and the lime juice in grog reduced the cases of scurvy among sailors drastically. Therefore, British sailors were healthier. French sailors drank wine, which reduced their immunity to scurvy, when the British navy was becoming more resistance to scurvy. So, the Royal Navy’s performance improved, helping them to defeat the French and Spanish naval

eaten by sharks, some just drowned. Other men died from dehydration, because they drank the

Since these drinks were more of modern inventions, Standage highlighted the importance of rum during the Age of Exploration and Tea with British imperialism. Rum and other spirits were used as currency during the Transatlantic Slave Trade which really stabilized when Europeans began to produce rum and other spirits on a mass scale. Standage then highlights the effects on the economy and trade when he begins his section on tea where imperialism grew and freedom decreased. Trade was forever changed when the British East India Company undermined the rules set in place by both the Chinese and the British. The result of this was the destabilization of China in the 19th century of which damaged the economy seeing that China was a powerful economic country.

This exchange sparked the establishment of America’s stable economy, which thrived and survived because of Europe's institution of commerce.

The many drinks created throughout history have played an important role in shaping society and changing the world for the better. The changes that occurred socially were the transformation from beer to wine, the cultural and social status a new drink brought into society, and the appearance of gender equality as women became allowed to enter coffeehouses. The continuities shown were, how each drink was an advancement to the world and how they each portrayed a certain class or standing; as well as after wine was created each drink became socially acceptable and popular among groups of

Today, people may regard Hamilton’s remark of limiting alcohol consumption to qualify him as semi prohibitionist. However, Hamilton had a point when he spoke about social discipline and drinking. When reviewing the health issues of excessively drinking that we currently understand in modern times, drinking was quite a serious problem in the 18th century. At one point in time, Hamilton's doctor limited him to consume no more than three glasses of wine per day. The fact that this doctor considered this to be a small amount tells us a lot about societal views on alcohol in the 1700’s. It

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage is a non-fiction historical novel, whose main purpose is to show the surprisingly pervasive influence of certain drinks on the course of history. Then it takes the reader on a journey through time to show the history of mankind through the lens of beverages.