Dr Pepper
A favorite in Texas, where it was invented in 1885, Dr Pepper is now
the 5th best selling soft drink in America. The name, however, does
not refer to the Waco pharmacist who whipped it up. That was Charles
Alderton, who started out serving it to regulars at Morrison's Old
Corner Drug, where he worked. He named it after Dr Pepper in Rural
Retreat, Virginia. The pharmacist there had given Alderton's boss,
Mr. Morrison, his first job. According to folklore, the real Dr
Pepper refused to let Morrison court his daughter. However, according
to company spokesman, Jim Ball, that story is fiction, as the girl in
question was only 8 yrs old at the time. Rural Retreat has always
billed itself as the home of the Dr Pepper drink. Ball notes that
historical records for the Virginia pharmacy (which closed in 1994)
contain no reference to sales of the drink til the 1920s. In 1988, Dr
Pepper merged with St Louis based 7-up, forming the 3rd largest soft
drink company in the US with HQs in Dallas. Note: the "Dr" is never
spelled out nor followed by a period. At one time the period existed,
but by about 1950 it had vanished from the company's promotional art.
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Bluebonnets
The bluebonnet was proclaimed the state flower by the state
legislature on March 7, 1901. The flower blooms during the month of
April. Legend says a Comanche girl sacrificed her doll, which had
blue feathers and black eyes; so the Great Spirit would end the
terrible drought. The ashes were strewn to the 4 winds. The next day
it rained and the blue flowers with black centers appeared. Many
years later these flowers were called bluebonnets because they
resembled the bonnets worn by pioneer women.
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