Entries from July 2005 ↓

In mathematics

Twelve is a composite number, the smallest number with exactly six divisors, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. Twelve is also a highly composite number, the next one being 24.

Twelve is a superfactorial, being the product of the first three factorials.

Twelve being the product of three and four, the first four positive integers show up in the equation 12 = 3 × 4, which can be continued with the equation 56 = 7 × 8.

A twelve-sided polygon is a dodecagon. A twelve-sided polyhedron is a dodecahedron. Twelve is a pentagonal number.

The number twelve is often used as a sales unit in trade, and is often referred to as a dozen. Twelve dozen are known as a gross. (Note that there are thirteen loaves in a baker’s dozen.) The duodecimal system (1210 [twelve] = 1012), which is the use of 12 as a division factor for many ancient and medieval weights and measures, including hours, probably originates from Mesopotamia. See also: base 12. As Schoolhouse Rock explains in its song “Little Twelvetoes”, if humankind had been born with twelve fingers, they would have counted and multiplied using the duodecimal system. (There is no need to have twelve fingers though, since one will easily arrive at the duodecimal system by simply counting the phalanx of fingers with the same hand’s thumb, a practice in use with some people until the present day.)

In base thirteen and higher bases (such as hexadecimal), twelve is represented as C.

Etymology (Weekley, Skeat) suggests that “twelve” (similar to “eleven”) consists of two parts, the first meaning “two” and the second “leftover”, so a literal translation would yield “two remaining [after having ten taken]”.

Twelve is superabundant, sparsely totient, a Harshad number, and a Pell number.

The geometry of twelve

It is possible to construct a perfect circle divided into twelve sectors of 30 degrees each, using only a compass and straightedge. The interesting thing about this construction is that it yields exactly twelve sectors, no more and no less, revealing the unique geometrical perfection of the number twelve. Follow these steps to construct this figure:

1. Using a compass, construct a simple circle.
2. Taking care not to change the radius setting, draw a second circle with center anywhere on the perimeter of the first.
3. Now go to the two points where the second circle crosses the first, and draw two more circles from these centers.
4. Continue this process to draw the final three circles, working your way around the perimeter of the first.
5. Finally connect the center of the original circle with all other points of intersection, using a straightedge.

You now have twelve radial lines emanating from the center, separated by twelve 30-degree sectors, all constructed from seven equal-sized circles.

In science

The atomic number of magnesium

In astronomy

Messier object M12, a magnitude 8.0 globular cluster in the constellation Ophiuchus.

The New General Catalogue object NGC 12, a magnitude 13.1 spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces.

The Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on -2680 August 8 and ended on -1129 February 25. The duration of Saros series 12 was 1550.5 years, and it contained 87 solar eclipses.

The Saros number of the lunar eclipse series which began on -2360 May 28 and ended on -1062 July 17. The duration of Saros series 12 was 1298.1 years, and it contained 73 lunar eclipses.

The 12th moon of Jupiter is Lysithea.

In time

There are twelve months in a year.

The Western zodiac has twelve signs, as does the Chinese zodiac.

There are twenty-four hours in a day in all, with twelve hours for a half a day. The hours are numbered from one to twelve for both the ante meridiem (a.m.) half of the day and the post meridiem (p.m.) half of the day. 12:00 after a.m. and before p.m. (in the middle of the day) is noon, and 12:00 after p.m. and before a.m. (in the middle of the night) is midnight. A new day is considered to start with the stroke of midnight.

The minute hand of a clock face turns twelve times faster than the hour hand.

In other fields

In English, twelve is the number of greatest magnitude that has just one syllable.

There are normally twelve pairs of ribs in the human body.

Jewish tradition and the old testament of the Bible talks of twelve tribes of Israel. The New Testament describes twelve apostles of Jesus. The Book of Revelation 12:1 mentions a woman - usually interpreted as Virgin Mary - wearing a crown of twelve stars.

Twelve stars are also featured on the European flag.

In modern Jewish practice, a girl gets her bat mitzvah on the Shabbat after her twelfth birthday.

In the United States, twelve people are appointed to sit on a jury for felony trials in all but four states, and in federal and D.C. courts. The number of jurors in the movie gave the title to the film 12 Angry Men.

In Astrology, Pisces is the 12th and final astrological sign of the Zodiac.

There have always been 12 eggs in a dozen, 12 hours on a clock, 12 days of Christmas, 12 inches in a foot, 12 months in a year, 12 steps in a staircase, 12 ounces in a Troy pound (used for precious metals), 12 constellations in the ecliptic (or signs of the zodiac), 12 tribes of Israel, 12 gears on a racing bicycle, 12 disciples of Christ, and 12 volts in a car battery.

Other movies with the number twelve in their titles include The Dirty Dozen, 12 Monkeys, Ocean’s Twelve and Twelve Chairs.

The song Twelve Days of Christmas came from the traditional practice of extending Yuletide celebrations over the twelve days from Christmas day to the eve of Epiphany; the period of thirteen days including Epiphany is sometimes known as as Christmastide.

Twelfth Night, another name for the 12th Day of Christmas or January 5 (the eve of Epiphany), gives its name to a Shakespeare comedy, as well as that of progressive rock band.

Twelve is:

* ASCII and Unicode code point for form feed.
* In music, the number of pitch classes in an octave, not counting the duplicated (octave) pitch. Also, the total number of major keys, (not counting enharmonic equivalents) and the total number of minor keys (also not counting equivalents). This applies only to twelve tone equal temperament, the most common tuning used today in western influenced music.
* In Greek mythology, the number of labours of Heracles (Hercules).
* The number of dan (master) grades in judo.
* The designation of United States Interstate 12, a freeway in Louisiana.
* In the Netherlands, highway A12 connects The Hague via Utrecht and Arnhem with the German border. In Germany, highway A12 connects Berlin with the Polish border near Frankfurt an der Oder. In Belgium, highway A12 connects Brussels via Antwerp with the Netherlands
* European route E12 - Mo i Rana - Umeå … Vaasa - Tampere - Hämeenlinna - Helsinki
* In rugby union one of the centres, most often but not always the inside centre, wears the 12 shirt.
* The number of function keys on most PC keyboards (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F10, F11, and F12)
* The number of dialling keys in any standard digital telephone (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, * and #)
* In the Ishihara color test, 12 is on the first plate which both persons with normal vision and colorblind persons can discern
* Historical years: A.D. 12, 12 B.C., or 1912

Source: wikipedia.org

Downtown Las Vegas
Fremont & Second Street - Daytime - 1950

Downtown Las Vegas
Fremont & Second Street - Nighttime - 1950

=continued=

Monte Carlo methods are a class of computational algorithms for simulating the behavior of various physical and mathematical systems. They are distinguished from other simulation methods (such as molecular dynamics) by being stochastic, that is nondeterministic in some manner - usually by using random numbers (or more often pseudo-random numbers) - as opposed to deterministic algorithms. A classic use is for the evaluation of definite integrals, particularly multidimensional integrals with complicated boundary conditions. =continued=

The Nevada state tax on gambling revenues is 6.25% (this is what the casinos pay).

The Flamingo Hilton was originally the Flamingo — built by infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel, and the first official “carpet joint” on the strip.

MGM Mirage, after the recent acquisition of Mandalay Resort Group, now owns The Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio, the Golden Nugget, the MGM Grand, New York New York, all three properties at the Nevada-California border (Whisky Pete’s, Primm Valley, and Buffalo Bill’s), Circus Circus, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo and both casinos in Jean near the Nevada-California border (Nevada Landing and Gold Strike).

The MGM Grand is the nation’s largest hotel with over 5000 rooms.

The Western wing of the MGM Grand is actually the old Marina Hotel and Casino. It was renovated and connected with the new building instead of being torn down.

The Stardust was the first hotel to add a sports book to its casino.

Steve Wynn’s first Las Vegas investment was a large parking lot next to Caesars Palace. He announced plans to build a hotel on the lot; Caesars Palace got nervous and paid Wynn a handsome premium for the property.

Park Place Entertainment is Hilton’s gaming division. They own the Las Vegas Hilton, Caesar’s Palace, the Flamingo Hilton, Paris Las Vegas, Bally’s, and O’Shea’s.

The vacant lot across from the Sahara has been empty since the original El Rancho Vegas burned down on that site 40 years ago. It was one of the first resorts on the strip.

Elvis and Priscilla Presley were married at the original Aladdin hotel, which was torn down in 1998, rebuilt in 2000, bankrupt in 2001, then sold to OpBiz in 2003.

In the early days of the strip, slot machines were initially a diversion for the women companions of male gamblers who were busy at the tables. Now slot machines typically earn 60% or more of a casino’s take.

The first place Frank Sinatra played in Las Vegas was the Desert Inn.

Howard Hughes stayed at the Desert Inn so long, the owners asked him to leave. He offered to buy the hotel and the owners sold, thus beginning his casino buying spree. He is often credited with bringing corporate legitimacy to gaming interests.

The Golden Gate hotel and casino in downtown is the oldest hotel in Las Vegas (1906).

The Riviera was the first high-rise hotel on the Strip when it arrived in 1955.

The casino scenes in the movie Casino (Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci) were filmed in the Riviera, probably because it had not changed much since the 70s - the era that the film depicted.

The chess notation format most people think of when they think of chess is called descriptive notation, with moves like P-K4, N-KB3, etc. There are many systems of chess notation, three of which are common today. These are descriptive, coordinate, and algebraic. Algebraic is the “official” notation used in tournaments and in all modern books, and it is kind of a cross between descriptive and coordinate.

The main thing to remember when looking at a chess diagram, regardless of the notation system used, is that the board is always “right-side up” for White, meaning White is always shown as playing from the “bottom” of the board. The board is always “up-side-down” for Black. Also, when placing a chess board down to play, the square in the lower left hand corner should always be black (the darker of the two colors).

The rows on the board (running left to right) are called ranks. The columns (running the length of the board between the two players) are called files. Series of squares running at a 45 degree angle (assuming a square board), composed of squares of all the same color, are called diagonals. The longest diagonals run from the lower-left-hand corner to the upper-right-hand corner, and the lower-right-hand corner to the upper-left-hand corner.

In chess notation, each square has a name. In descriptive notation the names of the squares depend upon which side of the board you are playing from. In either algebraic or coordinate notation, the names of the squares are absolute, no matter which side you are sitting on. To illustrate:

Descriptive Notation

The board is divided into two halves, the queenside and the kingside. In the diagram below, the names of the squares from White’s point of view are in UPPER CASE and in white text, and the names of the squares from Black’s point of view are in lower case and black text. Which point of view is used depends on whose turn it is. The names of the squares are based on the name of the piece that sits in the home row at the start, and are differentiated from each other by whether they belong to the kinside or the queenside. The squares are always numbered away from the player (1 being closest and 8 being furthest from the player.)

While this system makes notating the game equally easy for White and Black, it can get confusing with each square essentially having two names (depending on whose point of view it’s referring to.) The pieces are designated as:

K = King
Q = Queen
R = Rook
B = Bishop
N = Knight
P = Pawn

These abbreviations also serve as the key to the diagram above. Note that the Knight is designated with an N, since K is already taken by the king. Old books will sometimes use Kt instead for the Knight. A move is written by first naming the piece that is moving, indicating whether it is a regular move (indicated by a dash) or a capture (indicated by a lower case “x”), and finally indicating the arrival square or the piece being captured. All letters for the pieces and squares are written in upper case (I only used lower case for Black in the diagram above to make it easier to read). So, for example, P-K4 means “take a pawn and move it to K4″. NxQ means “Knight takes Queen”.

Also, moves are always stated in the simplest manner that still describes only one unique and legal move on the board. For example, if only one pawn can move to B4, then you do not designate whether it is KB4 or QB4, as there is only one choice, and would write P-B4. If there is more than one such possibility, then you would clarify it with either P-KB4 or P-QB4. Sometimes two pieces can go to the same square, such as two Rooks on the first rank being able to move to Q1. R-Q1 would not be adequate in this case. You would designate which rook moved by noting which side of the board it originally came from, such as QR-Q1 or KR-Q1. If it can’t be determined which side of the board the piece originally came from (usually late in the game), then you assume the piece farthest on the kingside of the board (this never changes even when the King moves) came from that side, and the other came from the queenside. If they are both on the same file, then you can designate the rank the piece came from with a slash. Suppose two rooks can go to Q4, one being on Q8 and the other on Q1, you would say R/1-Q4 or R/8-Q4, depending on which rook was moved. The same rules apply to captures, whether you need to clarify which piece is doing the capturing, or which piece is being captured.

Check is designated by appending “ch” after the move, such as Q-N8 ch. Checkmate is indicated by appending the word “mate”, such as N-B7 mate. Appending “ch” or “mate” is enough to make a move unique. Thus, if a Queen can take either of two Bishops, but only one choice gives check, it is enough to say QxB ch. The other choice, QxB, would be unique because of the absence of the “ch”. The same is true of “mate”. En passant is indicated as PxP e.p. Castling kingside (also called castling short) is indicated O-O, and castling queenside (also called castling long) is O-O-O. Promotion of a pawn to another piece is indicated in parentheses, i.e., P-Q8(Q), or P-B8(N).

While this system was in use for most of this century, it was eventually replaced by algebraic because of the confusion over the names of squares and the extent to which ambiguities in notation would arise. It is still important to know, however, as many older books still use this notation, and even some more recent books, such as the manual for Battle Chess. Also, many older players prefer this and will use it, so it has by no means died out, but it is definitely out of favor, and no longer the official notation of chess.

The next two systems I will describe, algebraic and coordinate, are very similar, and even share the same names for the squares. The ranks are still numbered 1-8, as in descriptive notation, but instead the files are designated with the letters a-h. There is only one point of view: White’s. This has the advantage that each square has only one name, and can be easily referred to away from a board. The disadvantage is that Black has to look at the board with the ranks and files numbered and lettered backward, but this is easy to get used to for most people, especially since most newer boards have the numbers and letters along the edges for reference. The names of the squares for these two systems are shown in the following diagram, which you can compare to the one for descriptive above.

Coordinate and Algebraic Notation

Coordinate notation simply uses the coordinates of the square the piece comes from, a dash, and the coordinates of the square the piece moved to. Example moves are E2-E4, E7-E5, etc. An “=” is used to indicate pawn promotion, i.e., E7-E8=Q. Everything is entered in caps. Castling is indicated by showing where the king moved (it is the only time it will move two spaces to either side). No distinction is made between a move and a capture. This system is used almost solely with computers, as it is easiest to program, because there is no possibility for ambiguous moves. Humans don’t favor it much, however, as looking at the move on a scoresheet tells you nothing about what is going on in the game, and it is prone to being misread when replaying a game using its score.

Algebraic notation uses the same names for squares as coordinate notation, but uses the piece names from descriptive notation, with one exception - a Pawn is given no designation. Instead, a Pawn is indicated by the absence of a piece letter. Piece letters belong in caps, square letters in lower case. This is important when differentiating a Bishop from a square on the b-file, for example. Unlike descriptive, no dash is used to indicate movement of a piece. So, moving a Knight from g1 to f3 would be written Nf3. A pawn moving to e4 would simply be “e4″. An “x” is used to indicate a capture, just as in descriptive notation. To lessen the potential for ambiguity, however, the square the captured piece rests on is used instead of the name of the piece. So, a Knight capturing a Queen on d8 would be written Nxd8. A pawn capture is indicated by noting the letter of the file the pawn came from, and its arrival square upon completing the capture. For example, exd5 would indicate the pawn came from the e-file, and captured the piece on d5. Similarly, gxh7 would indicate a pawn on the g-file took the piece on h7.

Ambiguities are resolved by indicating the rank or file the piece came from (whichever is unique - if both are unique, use the letter of the file). For example, Nbd7 would mean the Knight on the b-file moves to d7, and N4xd6 would mean the Knight on the 4th rank captures the piece on d6. Note this is much simpler than resolving ambiguities in descriptive notation.

Check is indicated by a “+” after the move, such as Qg8+. Checkmate is indicated with two plusses, “++”, such as Nf7++. Castling is indicated the same way as in descriptive notation, which is O-O for castling kingside (short), and O-O-O for castling queenside (long). En passant is indicated the same way as a normal Pawn capture. However, since the square the captured pawn stood on is not the same as the arrival square of the pawn making the capture (as it is in all other captures), one method had to be chosen over the other. Since algebraic notation and coordinate notation are closely related, it was decided to keep it the same, and use the _arrival square_ of the pawn, and not the square the captured pawn stood on. To further clarify that it is an en passant capture, “ep” is appended after the move. So, a pawn on e5 capturing the pawn on f5 that has just moved two squares forward would be written exf6ep. Pawn promotion uses the “=” sign like coordinate notation. A pawn on e7 being promoted to a Queen would be written e8=Q.

Algebraic notation is now the “official” language of chess, both in the US and internationally. The only difference in other countries is that they have different names for the pieces, so the letters used to designate the pieces vary.

One variation on algebraic sometimes encountered is long algebraic. This is the same as algebraic in every way, except that square the piece originated from is also indicated, and a dash is used to separate the originating square and the arrival square for a regular move. An “x” is still used to indicate a capture, lower case is still used for the names of the squares, and pawns are still designated by the absence of a letter. Thus moves look like e2-e4, Ng1-f3, Bc8-f5, Nb8xc6, e5xd4, O-O, Ng5xf7+, d4xe3ep, g2-g1=Q, etc.

Notice that while this is a little longer to write out, it has the advantage of avoiding ambiguities altogether, since both the originating and arrival squares are given. It also has an advantage over coordinate notation, which is that since the piece names are given, you can tell better by looking at the score what is happening on the board, because it provides more information. This extra information also helps to compensate for errors made in notation. Since errors in notation are especially unwanted in postal chess due to the long response times, where a single error can take a week to correct by the time the original player is informed of the error and a reply is sent back to correct the error, this notation is well-suited for postal chess.

Below is a quick sample game fragment showing all four notations side-by-side. All four notation lists are identical in content, and should all arrive at the same position, shown below.

Algebraic:
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bb5 a6
4.Bxc6 dxc6
5.d3 Bb4+
6.Nc3 Nf6
7.0-0 Bxc3

Coordinate:
1.E2-E4 E7-E5
2.G1-F3 B8-C6
3.F1-B5 A7-A6
4.B5-C6 D7-C6
5.D2-D3 F8-B4
6.B1-C3 G8-F6
7.E1-G1 B4-C3

Descriptive:
1.P-K4 P-K4
2.N-KB3 N-QB3
3.B-N5 P-QR3
4.NxN QPxB
5.P-Q3 B-N5ch
6.N-B3 N-B3
7.0-0 BxN

Long Algebraic:
1.e2-e4 e7-e5
2.Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6
3.Bf1-b5 a7-a6
4.Bb5xc6 d7xc6
5.d2-d3 Bf8-b4+
6.Nb1-c3 Ng8-f6
7.0-0 Bb4xc3

If you can get that far in each notation, then you’re probably doing ok.

Also note that should one want to refer to a move in the game score above, for example, White’s 6th move, it would be written 6. Nc3 in a sentence. Notice there is only one period after the move number - this indicates it is a move by White. To refer to Black’s 6th move by itself, one would write 6…Nf6, the three dots (an ellipsis) indicating that it is a move made by Black. This convention is used regardless of which notation system is used, so one could just as easily write 5. P-Q3 or 5…B-N5ch, for example.

When reading game scores or annotated games (games with comments and analysis to go with the score), one will often run into the use of “?” and “!”, such as 20. Rd8? or 30…Bxh3! This is to indicate the relative strength or weakness of a given move, in the mind of the writer. A “?” indicates a weak move or mistake. A “!” indicates an excellent move, usually one that is unexpected and requires deep analysis to see why it works. Some writers will use the “?” and “!” additively, thus 20. Rd8?? would be a horrible move, and 30…Bxh3!! would be a truly inspired move. Since this can quickly get out of hand, restraint is required by the writer, and one usually never sees more than two punctuation marks.

Another way the “?” and “!” can be used is to combine them, such as 20. Rd8?! or 30…Bxh3!?. The meaning of this depends on which punctuation mark comes first. “?!” is often used to mean a questionable move, but not an outright mistake. This can also be represented as a question mark in parentheses, for example, 20. Rd8 (?), but is seen much less often nowadays than “?!”. The combination “!?” is often used to indicate surprise at a particular move, and often also to mean that move is speculative and risky, but probably good (which is why the “!” goes first).

None of this punctuation (?, !, ?!, and !?) is required, and is used primarily as a diagnostic or learning tool, and to allow a little room for expression in game scores or analysis. It is included here so you can make sense of it when you see it in other people’s game scores or analyses. Do not include these marks when simply taking down the score of a game or sending your reply to someone in a game. These are reserved for analysis only, which occurs after the game is over.

Adapted from a file by Joe Brooks.

Americans buy 2.7 billion packages of breakfast cereal each year. If laid end to end, the empty cereal boxes from one year’s consumption would stretch to the moon and back.

The cereal industry uses 816 million pounds of sugar per year, enough to coat each and every American with more than three pounds of sugar. The cereal with the highest amount of sugar per serving is Smacks, which is 53% sugar.

Americans consume about ten pounds, or 160 bowls of cereal, per person each year. But America ranks only fourth in per capita cereal consumption. Ireland ranks first, England ranks second, and Australia ranks third. 49% of Americans start each morning with a bowl of cereal, 30% eat toast, 28% eat eggs, 28% have coffee, 17% have hot cereal and fewer than 10% have pancakes, sausage, bagels or french toast.

In terms of dollar value breakfast cereals are the third most popular product sold at supermarkets, after carbonated beverages and milk. Cigarettes are the fourth most popular item followed by fresh bread and rolls.

In 1993, more than 1.3 million advertisements for cereal aired on American television, or more than twenty-five hours of cereal advertising per day, at a cost of $762 million for air time. Only auto manufacturers spend more money on television advertising than the makers of breakfast cereal.

“It is difficult to produce a television documentary that is both incisive and probing when every twelve minutes one is interrupted by twelve dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper.”
– Rod Serling

Coca-Cola was invented and first marketed in 1886, followed by Pepsi in 1898. Coca-Cola was named after the coca leaves and kola nuts John Pemberton used to make it, and Pepsi after the beneficial effects its creator, Caleb Bradham, claimed it had on dyspepsia. For many years, Coca-Cola had the cola market cornered. Pepsi was a distant, nonthreatening contender. But as the market got more and more lucrative, professional advertising became more and more important. These soda companies have been leading the way in advertising ever since.

ADVERTISING HISTORY & COMMERCIALS

Pepsi has definitely leaned towards the appeal of celebrities, popular music, and young people in television commercials, while Coke relies more heavily on images of happiness and togetherness, tradition, and nationalism, perpetually trying to cash in on its original lead. In a simplified sense, you could sum up the strategies as Coke: Old, Pepsi: New. In fact, as we will see, when Coca-Cola tried something new, it was disaster.

The first magazine ad for Coca-Cola appeared in Munsey’s in 1902. Advertisements began to appear on billboards, newspapers, and streetcars. Soon there were serving trays with images of people enjoying Coca-Cola, and glasses with the cola’s name on them. At this time, Coca-Cola and Pepsi were served in drugstore soda fountains.

In 1909, Pepsi used its first celebrity endorser, automobile race driver Barney Oldfield, in newspaper ads. In 1921, Pepsi went bankrupt, but continued to appear on the scene, although not nearly so successfully as Coca-Cola. In 1931, Pepsi went bankrupt again, but the new owner, Roy Megargel, would hit upon an idea that would finally give Coca-Cola some competition. In 1934, he marketed Pepsi in a 12-ounce bottle for a nickel. At the time, Coca-Cola was sold in a 6-ounce bottle for ten cents. Voila! Profits for Pepsi.

Pepsi racked up another first by airing the first radio jingle in 1939. It was so popular that it was played in jukeboxes and became a hit record. here. Coca-Cola hit the airwaves in 1941.

In 1946, inflation forced Pepsi to increase prices. And in 1950, Pepsi offered a larger 26-ounce bottle to court the young American housewife.

In the 1960’s, the cola ad wars moved to television. Coca-Cola employed a host of celebrity singers to promote the product, including Connie Francis , Tom Jones, The New Beats, Nancy Sinatra, and The Supremes. As we moved through the years, both colas incorporated some of their best slogans (”Pepsi Generation” and “the Real Thing”) into subsequent commercials.

In the 1970s, market research showed that consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi over Coke. The Pepsi Challenge is still being conducted today. But Coke came up with what is arguably the best of all cola commercials, the 1971 I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke ad. This landmark was recalled in Christmas versions in 1983 and 1984, and a 1990 Super Bowl ad, which was enough to make some Baby Boomers weep with nostalgia.

In the 1980’s, Pepsi lined up the celebrities, starting with Michael Jackson, then Madonna, Michael J. Fox, Billy Crystal, Lionel Ritchie, Gloria Estefan, Joe Montana, and others. Coke signed on Michael Jordan, New Kids on the Block, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, and Paula Abdul.

In 1985, responding to the pressure of the Pepsi Challenge taste tests, which Pepsi always won, Coca-Cola decided to change its formula. Bill Cosby was the pitchman. This move set off a shock wave across America. Consumers angrily demanded that the old formula be returned, and Coca-Cola responded three months later with Classic Coke. Eventually, New Coke quietly disappeared.

Pepsi, meanwhile, had its own flop, Crystal Pepsi, which was supposed to catch the strange wave of the times when everything colorless was clean and desirable (Zima, bottled water). And then there was Pepsi Lite with the lemony flavor and one calorie, introduced in 1975. Remember that one? Apparently they didn’t expect us to because later they gave us Pepsi One, using the same concept, but a completely different taste. And, extending the idea even further, we are now getting Pepsi Twist, a new product with a twist of lemon flavor.

In 1991, Ray Charles sang, “You got the right one baby, uh-huh!” Also in the 1990s, Cindy Crawford and the Spice Girls pitched Pepsi. And then Pepsi aired commercials featuring the aggravating little girl (Hallie Eisenberg) with her troubling male voice.

In the new century, both colas continue to battle it out on the television screen. And celebrities continue to be important promoters. Recently, Pepsi has had commercials by Bob Dole and Faith Hill, among others.

It’s clear in looking at the slogans over the years that Coke and Pepsi have very different targeting strategies. Coke is touting itself as the original, the authentic, and appealing to a sense of tradition, positioning itself as an integral part of daily American life. Pepsi, on the other hand, is promoting itself as something new, young, and hip, which seems a little odd after over 100 years. But Coke was first, after all. Pepsi has always targeted the youth market more aggressively than Coke.

COCA-COLA SLOGANS

1886 - Drink Coca-Cola
1904 - Coca-Cola Satisfies
1904 - Delicious and Refreshing
1905 - Coca-Cola Revives and Sustains
1905 - Good All the Way Down
1906 - The Drink of Quality
1906 - The Great National Temperance
1907 - Delicious Coca-Cola, Sustains, Refreshes, Invigorates
1907 - Cooling . . . Refreshing . . . Delicious
1908 - Sparkling - Harmless as Water, and Crisp as Frost
1909 - Delicious, Wholesome, Refreshing
1910 - It Satisfies
1910 - Quenches Thirst as Nothing Else Can
1911 - It’s Time to Drink Coca-Cola
1911 - Real Satisfaction in Every Glass
1912 - Demand the Genuine - Refuse Substitutes
1913 - The Best Beverage Under the Sun
1913 - A Welcome Addition to Any Party - Anytime - Anywhere
1914 - Ehilarating, Refreshing
1914 - Demand the Genuine by Full Name
1914 - Pure and Wholesome
1916 - Just One Glass Will Tell You
1917 - Three Million A Day
1919 - Quality Tells the Difference
1920 - Drink Coca-Cola with Soda
1922 - Thirst Knows No Season
1922 - Thirst Can’t Be Denied
1922 - Thirst Reminds You - Drink Coca-Cola
1923 - Refresh Yourself
1924 - Pause and Refresh Yourself
1925 - Six Million A Day
1925 - The Sociable Drink
1926 - Stop at the Red Sign
1927 - Around the Corner from Anywhere
1928 - A Pure Drink of Natural Flavors
1929 - The Pause that Refreshes
1930 - Meet Me At the Soda Fountain
1932 - Ice-Cold Sunshine
1933 - Don’t Wear a Tired, Thirsty Face
1934 - Carry a Smile Back to Work
1935 - All Trails Lead to Ice-Cold Coca-Cola
1936 - What Refreshment Ought to Be
1936 - The Refreshing Thing to Do
1937 - America’s Favorite Moment
1937 - So Easy to Serve and So Inexpensive
1938 - The Best Friend Thirst Ever Had
1938 - Pure Sunlight
1938 - Anytime is the Right Time to Pause and Refresh
1939 - Coca-Cola Goes Along
1939 - Make Lunch Time Refreshment Time
1939 - Makes Travel More Pleasant
1939 - The Drink Everybody Knows
1939 - Thirst Stops Here
1940 - Bring in Your Thirst and Go Away Without It
1941 - Completely Refreshing
1942 - Refreshment That Can’t Be Duplicated
1942 - Whoever You Are, Whatever You Do, Wherever You May Be, When You Think of Refreshment, Think of Ice-Cold Coca-Cola.
1943 - The Only Thing Like Coca-Cola is Coca-Cola Itself. It’s the Real Thing
1943 - A Taste All Its Own
1943 - That Extra Something
1944 - How About a Coke
1945 - Passport to Refreshment
1945 - Whenever You Hear “Have a Coke,” You Hear the Voice of America
1947 - Coke Knows No Season
1947 - Serving Coca-Cola Serves Hospitality
1948 - Where There’s Coke, There’s Hospitality
1949 - Coca-Cola . . . Along the Highway to Anywhere
1950 - Help Yourself to Refreshment
1951 - Good Food and Coca-Cola Just Naturally Go Together
1952 - What You Want Is a Coke
1953 - Dependable as Sunrise
1954 - For People on the Go
1955 - America’s Preferred Taste
1956 - Coca-Cola - Making Good Things Taste Better
1956 - Feel the Difference
1957 - Sign of a Good Taste
1958 - The Cold, Crisp Taste of Coke
1959 - Be Really Refreshed to Connie Francis
1960 - Relax With Coke
1961 - Coke and Food - Refreshing New Feeling
1962 - Coca-Cola Refreshes You Best
1963 - Things Go Better With Coke to the Kingston Trio
1965 - Something More Than a Soft Drink
1966 - Coke . . . After Coke . . . After Coke
1970 - It’s the Real Thing to the Carpenters
1971 - I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke
1974 - Look Up, America
1976 - Coke Adds Life
1979 - Have a Coke and a Smile
1982 - Coke Is It!
1984 - Just For the Taste of It (Diet Coke)
1985 - Just For the Free of It (Caffeine Free Coke)
1985 - We’ve Got a Taste For You (New Coke)
1985 - America’s Real Choice (Coca-Cola Classic)
1986 - Catch the Wave (New Coke)
1986 - Red, White and You (Coca-Cola Classic)
1987 - You Can’t Beat the Real Thing
1989 - Can’t Beat the Feeling
1990 - Can’t Beat the Real Thing
1993 - Always Coca-Cola
1993 - Taste it All

PEPSI-COLA SLOGANS

1903 - Exhilarating, Invigorating, Aids Digestion
1907 - Original Pure Food Drink
1909 - Delicious and Healthful
1915 - For All Thirsts - Pepsi-Cola
1919 - Pepsi-Cola - It Makes You Scintillate
1920 - Drink Pepsi Cola. It will satisfy you.
1928 - Peps You Up!
1932 - Sparkling, Delicious
1934 - Refreshing and Healthful
1939 - Twice As Much For A Nickel Too
1943 - Bigger Drink, Better Taste
1949 - Why take less when Pepsi’s best?
1950 - More Bounce to the Ounce
1950 - The Light Refreshment
1954 - Refreshing Without Filling
1958 - Be Sociable, have a Pepsi
1961 - Now It’s Pepsi, For Those Who Think Young
1963 - Come Alive! You’re In the Pepsi Generation
1967 - Taste That Beats the Others Cold
1967 - Pepsi Pours It On
1969 - You’ve Got a Lot to Live and Pepsi’s Got a Lot to Give
1973 - Join the Pepsi People Feelin’ Free
1975 - Have a Pepsi Day
1978 - Catch That Pepsi Spirit
1981 - Pepsi’s Got Your Taste For Life!
1983 - Pepsi Now!
1984 - Pepsi, the Choice of a New Generation
1992 - Gotta Have It
1993 - Be Young, Have Fun, Drink Pepsi
1995 - Nothing else is a Pepsi
1999 - The Joy of Cola