Rum in History- August

August Through The Years

1492- Christopher Columbus weighs anchor August 3, with 52 men aboard his flagship the 100-ton Santa Maria, 18 aboard the 50-ton Pinta commanded by Martín Alonso Pinzón, and another 18 aboard the 40-ton Niña.

1505-  Spanish conquistadors found the city of Havana, Cuba.

1560-  Venice gets its first coffee house.  The city is a major sugar-refining center, using raw sugar imported through Lisbon, but Europe's chief sugar refiner is Antwerp which refines as much sugar in a fortnight as Venice does in a year.

1630- As sugarcane is grown and processed in the French West Indies, the supply of sugar in France increases. Lemonade is invented in Paris and quickly gains popularity.

1731-  Half a pint of rum in two equal tots (servings) becomes the official daily ration for all hands in the British Royal Navy.

1735-  English distillers produce gin at a rate of 5.4 million gallons per year, nearly a gallon for every man, woman and child.

1740-  The Royal Navy's rum ration is diluted by Admiral Edward Vernon, nicknamed "Old Grog" because he wears a grogram (grosgrain) cloak in foul weather.  "Grog" will become a slang word for liquor, "groggy" for drunken dizziness.