Here's to you Diet Coke -- 26 years young

Today is diet Coke's 26th birthday. We introduced diet Coke in the U.S. on this day in 1982, and made soft-drink history in doing so.

Naming the brand "diet Coke" marked the first extension of the trademarks "Coca-Cola" and "Coke" (the first time we used those names on a drink that wasn't Coca-Cola itself).

For our first diet beverage in 1963, called TaB, the Company felt that the word "diet" before Coca-Cola might weaken the Coke brand. So instead they chose TaB, a name with no connection to Coca-Cola.

I guess that goes to show that we don't always know everything! Within two years, diet Coke became the top low-calorie soft drink in the world and the most successful new soft drink since Coca-Cola itself had been introduced. (And I'm proud to say diet Coke is still the No. 1 diet drink!)

I didn't have my blog last year for diet Coke's 25th anniversary, but we did celebrate! A member of my team went to Canada for the birthday, and even had to sing the "introducing diet Coke" theme during a radio interview there! If I had a tape of that interview, it would be part of this post!