Pepsi was originally marketed as an aid for what?

Pepsi was first introduced as "Brad's Drink" in New Bern, North Carolina, United States, in 1893 by Caleb Bradham, who made it at his drugstore where the drink was sold. It was renamed Pepsi-Cola in 1898 after the Greek word for "digestion" which the drink was purported to aid, and "cola" after the kola nut. The original recipe also included sugar and vanilla. Bradham sought to create a fountain drink that was appealing and would aid in digestion and boost energy.

After years of success, Bradham lost Pepsi Cola. He had gambled on the fluctuations of sugar prices during World War I, believing that sugar prices would continue to rise — but they fell instead, leaving Caleb Bradham with an overpriced sugar inventory. Pepsi Cola went bankrupt in 1923.

In 1931, after passing through the hands of several investors, Pepsi Cola was bought by the Loft Candy Co. Charles G. They struggled to make a success of Pepsi during the depths of the Great Depression. At one point, Loft offered to sell Pepsi to executives at Coke, who refused to offer a bid.

Pepsi was reformulated and sold in 12-ounce bottles for just 5 cents, which was twice as much as what Coke offered in its 6-ounce bottles. Touting Pepsi as "twice as much for a nickel," Pepsi scored an unexpected hit as its "Nickel Nickel" radio jingle became the first to be broadcast coast to coast. Eventually, it would be recorded in 55 languages and became one of the most effective ads of the 20th century.