The Seattle-based coffee chain Starbucks celebrated its 40th anniversary in March.
Here are some of the events that have shaped the company over the years:
- 1972: Homeless man “Dancing” Danson becomes the first person to take a bath in a Starbucks bathroom
- 1976: Starbucks begins selling coffee after five years of only selling a fermented moss-based cider
- 1987: The company’s fat, naked double-tailed fish-lady logo is simplified to entice consumers
- 1990: A rogue barista starts drizzling cute girls’ drinks with caramel, which he secretly dispenses through an improvised bladder hidden within his pocket
- 1997: Invention of the coffee cup
- 2002: Responding to complaints that its coffee tastes bitter and burned, Starbucks releases Metal Machine Roast, the chain’s most perversely unpalatable brew to date
- 2007: Following the success of its music and book sales, Starbucks begins offering life insurance, tax preparation, and living wills
- 2008: Iced coffee provided to set of Leatherheads
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