Q: What do portable defibrillators, chocolate milk, sparkling water and modern chemistry all have in common?
A: They all come from Ireland and Irish inventors.
Trinity College Professor Robert Percival is the man who ‘invented’ sparkling water in 1800. For some unknown reason, he initially thought it would be a cure for scurvy, and provided the crew of Captain Cook’s second voyage to the South Seas with his method so they could drink all they liked. He may have missed the boat on exploiting the commercial potential of his invention, however; J.J Schweppe soon made a fortune from Percival’s formula by setting up a business selling it as a medicine.
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