The History of Coffee

One reason historical events are important for shaping the future is that without having a fundamental understanding of history we would repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Another reason is because history grounds us, it reminds us where we are on Earth's timeline and how far we have come in all fields of life; hunting, gathering, fishing, creating, and even the drinks we indulge in. The subject researched on this site for the 2020 Social Studies Fair is the History of Coffee, as stated in the title. This is such interesting topic to research because coffee is timeless, plus the beverage is also known or drunk by everyone.

Coffee was first rumored to be discovered during the 9th century when a goat farmer noticed how much more active his goats became after eating coffee beans. However, this story is believed to be apocryphal- so the first credible evidence of coffee drinking wasn’t until the 15th century. My project will cover the growth of coffee starting in the 15th century to today.

Coffee has also had a major impact on everyday life in modern times, however the beverage wasn’t always so important to us as it is today. Just like everything else in this world coffee has evolved and grown over the years, the beverage grew from being a hot, rich drink to have for energy; to being personalized with different amounts of sugar and milk for its consumer; to having luxuries mixed in- such as chocolate and ice. Coffee has grown so much that people have started companies around it- these companies have become name brands and major businesses making millions each year.