136: Dark History: Killer Lemonade and the Unknown Truth of Energy Drinks 01:06:49

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What? Of course I clicked because, uh, what? Here's what I learned. Sarah Katz, 21 years old, bought a lemonade at Panera in 2022, drank it, went into cardiac arrest, and then died. But this wasn't your standard country time lemonade. Sarah drank Panera's, quote, charged lemonade. And a large size of it apparently has the same amount of caffeine as five bottles

Red Bulls. Well, Sarah's parents sued Panera for wrongful death, saying that they needed to warn customers of what was hiding inside this alleged lemonade. And look, I mean, I grew up in the early 2000s. I essentially had a blue ultra monster glued in my hand at all times. And to be honest, I have no clue where energy drinks even came from. I mean, they seem to like come out of nowhere. So what is the story with energy drinks?

Who invented them? Why are we so obsessed with caffeine? Well, friends, I found some answers. And this is the Dark History of Energy Drinks. ♪

Hi friends, I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. Here we believe history doesn't have to be boring. I mean, it might be tragic. Sometimes it's happy. But either way, it's our dark history. Before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe because I come out with hot, juicy history goss every week. And also let me know what you guys think down below in the comment section.

Cause I love hearing from you. Hi friends, just popping in here really quick with no makeup on. I want to let you know that Dark History will be back with a new episode July 10th, available wherever you listen to podcasts, and July 11th on YouTube. Yes, Paul is going on a vacation. He's so lucky. So we'll see you then. Just letting you know. Okay, now let's get back to the episode. Now, let's get into it.

We Americans love a good stimulant. Huh? We love to be stimulated. We've been juiced up from the very beginning. Indigenous tribes have been using a drug called peyote and other mind-altering substances, like stimulants, for thousands of years. I mean, they were used for ceremonies and for medicine.

And, you know, I imagine some people were having a little fun on the side. Then in the 1600s, Europeans brought coffee over to the New World and started planting it in the area that became New York. So coffee was around and, you know, some people, they were drinking it.

But because of British influence, we prefer to get our caffeine from English tea. That is, until the colonists threw a little party. On December 16th, 1773, a bunch of Americans staged a protest against taxes. And that protest involved dumping a bunch of British tea into the harbor. About 92,000 pounds of the stuff.

Remember in high school, it's called the Boston Tea Party. I specifically remember that in high school. It's the only thing I remember from high school history is the Boston Tea Party. But it was a major FU to the King of England. And, you know, we were very mad at our English dad. And from this day on, America became a coffee obsessed country with a deep addiction to caffeine. I mean, even Thomas Jefferson was hooked there.

I guess he had like a 60 pound supply of coffee beans in his basement ready to ground up at any moment. His house must have smelled good. I bet. He's even on record expressing his love for coffee while at the same time dragging England. In 1824, Jefferson said that coffee was quote, "the favorite beverage of the civilized world." He's trying to like this people.

Yeah, he was. So as time goes on, people search for new ways to get their energy fix. So Coca-Cola shows up in 1886 and they're like, hey, how about a beverage with not just caffeine, but cocaine?

As we learned from our Coca-Cola episode, Dr. John Pemberton put actual cocaine in that early Coke formulation. I mean, people went nuts for it. But in 1904, the cocaine was removed. So boo, you know, everyone was like, boo, bring it back. Boo.

But our love for stimulants stayed strong. Then in the 1930s, the United States military was feeding amphetamines to soldiers. Yes, I mean, these strong stimulants help these soldiers like stay alert and fight longer. I mean, even though the war ended, sadly their addictions didn't. Soldiers continued using these amphetamines back home and even shared them like with their wives.

And the ladies loved them because they found that like these stimulants help them get shit done, but also lose weight. You know, okay, look, the stimulants help them like suppress their urge to eat. And then also they didn't sleep. So they were just like zombies.

There's a desire and a demand for a product to keep us active, motivated, and productive. I mean, we're always looking for something. In 1949, America gets its first version of an energy drink from a businessman in Chicago. He creates a drink called Dr. Enough. Yeah.

And this drink was a caffeinated soft drink that was infused with B vitamins and caffeine. It was intended to be a better alternative to sugary sodas, like full of empty calories. So TV commercials for this drink said it was, quote, "'A shift into high gear for young Johnny or Mary, "'the bosom companion of a tired farmer or businessman.'"

And they answered to a housewife's prayer. And honestly, like this drink was way ahead of its time, which is probably why it never caught on. Coffee was still king and Americans just weren't ready for energy drinks yet. But it was a different story over in Asia. Because the Japanese were about to break the beverage industry with a revolutionary new product. I made Paul my personal chef.

Oh yes I did. I don't have time to cook. I'm researching, I'm reading, I'm busy. And so I was like, "Hey Paul, you're free. Like how about you be my chef?" You know? Now I was so impressed by Paul's cooking. He made Old Bay shrimp and sausage and I was like,

"Wow, this is so delicious. How did you make this?" Paul said it took him all day. And I was like, "Okay, I mean, I believe that it's so good." But then I went outside to throw out the trash and that's when I saw a box that said, "Hello Fresh" on it. Ah, ha, I knew Paul didn't come up with the recipe on his own.

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In the 1950s, just like in America, Japanese people were addicted to stimulants like amphetamines and the blue collar workers relied on them to get their work done. But the Japanese government must have felt that having a doped up population might not be great, like in the long run. So they passed a bunch of laws stopping the sale of stimulant drugs. And I guess people freaked out, okay? I mean, they had no idea how they were going to make it through their day.

I mean, imagine if our government totally banned coffee. My God, people would die.

People would die. They would lose their shit. The Japanese government essentially forced the entire nation to just go cold turkey. But thankfully, a company showed up and saved the day. In 1962, the big brains at a company called Taisho Pharmaceuticals invented something called Lipovitan D. And my friends, let me introduce to you the world's first energy drink as we know it.

Now, this first energy drink was more of an energizing herbal tonic. Like it was sold in tiny bottles. You know, like the bottles of booze you'd find in a hotel minibars.

you know, fun size. And I mean, I guess it smelled and tasted like cough syrup. And even the name itself made it sound kind of like a medicine. Now ads for this tonic claimed it could help with quote, "physical fatigue, lack of appetite, nutritional deficiency, fever, and exhaustion."

Bold claims. And the product was targeted at people who worked in factories, office jobs, and people like truck drivers who had to stay awake for long periods of time. Now, this tonic in Japan was made with

with B vitamins and caffeine, but the main ingredient was something called taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that can be found in foods with protein, like meat, you know? And that is how the Pharma company got around Japan's stimulant ban, because taurine is organic. The company claimed our bodies use taurine to create energy,

And I mean, mixed reviews on this, like there are many experts who dispute this claim, but whether or not this is true doesn't really matter because people believed it was true. Lipo-Vitan D flew off the shelves in Japan and it paved the way for this next product. So over in Thailand, a man was coming up with his own version of an energy drink.

And little did he know, he was going to have a massive global impact that would create one of the world's most recognizable brands. An icon, a legend. Sometime between 1923 and 1932, we're not sure, seems like someone got the numbers flipped or something, but a man named Chaleo Uvidea was born in Thailand. Chaleo's parents were Chinese immigrants and I

The family was pretty poor. They sold fruit at the market and were also duck farmers. Chaleo didn't receive much formal education, but he was very ambitious. And after working for his parents for a while, Chaleo moved to the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. Anyway, for a while, Chaleo was a salesman pushing antibiotics.

And eventually he leaves that job and creates his own company called TC Pharmaceuticals. But a few years after starting the company, Chaleo came up with the product that would change his life. In 1975, Chaleo claimed that he was hit with divine inspiration.

Yes, and this divine inspiration told him that he should invent an energy drink. And that's exactly what he did. Like in Japan, his target market was everyday consumers like blue-collar workers. And this drink was made with water, sugar, caffeine, taurine, and B vitamins like the usual suspects.

but the branding is what sets Chaleo's product apart. He invented an iconic logo set against a yellow sun in the background. The logo featured two bulls charging at each other. Yeah, the color of these bulls, red. Chaleo called his creation Kratting Deng, which translates to Red Bull or as Red Bull. Yeah, Red Bull! What? Yeah! I know.

Chaleo said he chose the bulls because they represented strength. And he picked the color red because it symbolizes tenacity. And the yellow sun in the background signified vitality. Wow.

I want one now. Chaleo started selling Kranting Deng in pharmacies all around Thailand and it was an immediate hit. But the thing is, it's a hit in only Thailand and Japan. That is, until a toothpaste salesman shows up and made the deal of a lifetime. The

The year is 1984 and a man named Dietrich Matteschitz is on a business trip to Thailand. And you see, Dietrich is working for a German cosmetics company and his job was to sell toothpaste. So he traveled all the way to

Bangkok to figure out how to market his company's toothpaste in Thailand. I mean, it makes sense. People brush their teeth in Thailand too, you know? So he lands at the Bangkok International Airport and finds a ride. And he's on his way from the airport to the center or the city center when he just hits like, or he gets hit with a massive case of jet lag. I don't know if they stopped at a convenience store or the driver gave it to him, but we know that Dietrich had a crotting day.

Red Bull. And Dietrich is on record saying one glass and the jet lag was gone. So Dietrich is like, oh, screw the toothpaste. Take me to this guy who like makes this magic drink, you know? Somehow Dietrich gets a hold of Chaleo and the two of them sit down and they talk. So Dietrich says that he wants to bring Kra-Ting-Dang to the Western world.

And he's certain that they're going to make millions. Of course, Chaleo thinks like, okay, this is a great idea. So they struck a deal in 1984 and came up with a partnership. They each invested $500,000 into a new company called Red Bull GmbH. They each have a 49% stake in the company and the remaining 2% goes to Chaleo's son. They shake hands and history is made.

Over the next three years, Dietrich goes into his energy drink lab, working with experts to reformulate the product for Western tastes. He keeps the iconic logo, but rebrands the product as a trendy, upscale drink. In 1987, Dietrich began selling Red Bull in Europe, and he sold it at posh places like ski resorts.

And like right out the gate, Dietrich is sending a message that this isn't a beverage company. No, this is a lifestyle brand. And to go along with that cool lifestyle, the drink was pretty pricey. The

The cans were only eight ounces, but they were at least double the price of a can of Coke. But it didn't matter. You know, the drink took Europe by storm. It's kind of funny though, because it's like this guy was selling toothpaste, you know, and now he's like selling a product that is rotting people's teeth out or allegedly, I don't know. But it's kind of funny. Life, huh? It'll get ya.

Meanwhile, over in America, the energy drink market is trying to like figure itself out and it's throwing just all sorts of hilarious stuff at the wall. I mean, in the mid 80s, Jolt Cola hits the market. Their slogan was literally all the sugar and twice the caffeine. And I guess they had like a bunch of silly flavors as well. One of them was called White Lightning. Yeah, but it was it was grape flavored.

Kind of confusing, right? So yeah. And then there's another one called Citrus Climax. I'd drink that, that's hot. Yeah. Then in 1989, Pepsi drops a product called Pepsi AM. You see, no one was buying soda in the morning for breakfast and the executives at Pepsi thought like, "Hey, that should change." They thought if they just made regular Pepsi, but with more caffeine, people would drink that instead of coffee.

Yeah, it didn't work. I guess it lasted like a whole year and then it just fizzled out. And then Coke really phoned it in. They launched a campaign called Coca-Cola in the Morning.

There was no new product. They just wanted to convince people to drink Coke for breakfast, which might sound crazy, but like I kind of do this all the time. Like don't come for me or anything because like I'm awful. But I sometimes drink Coca-Cola, not sponsored. I sometimes drink Coca-Cola for breakfast, not for breakfast, but like instead of coffee because it wakes me up. Anyone else?

I know. I don't know. Wild, huh? I mean, I think it's better than a cup of coffee. Probably less sugar because I like heat up 90% creamer and a little bit of coffee. So to me, like the Coke actually makes more sense. I don't know. I mean, if they brought back Pepsi AM, I'd definitely be all over that. Pepsi, get on it. I do like a Pepsi.

So yeah, you know, titans like Coke, Pepsi, and even Mountain Dew, they tried, but they couldn't dethrone coffee as America's favorite source of energy. Coffee continued its reign as Stimulant King, and that is until 1996. You know what I've been listening to on Audible?

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She recounts some early struggles she went through to becoming an actress, her friendships, her relationships with people, people telling her what to do and she's like, "No, I'm good." And then her marriage and I just am really liking it. It feels more like you're having a conversation with someone rather than being told a story or talked to.

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So magical. Sign up for a 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.com slash dark history. That's audible.com slash dark history for a free 30-day trial and you get your first audiobook for free. Thank you so much. Now let's get back to the story.

Well, '96 was like a wild year for America. President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky were, you know, having their affair. But the world didn't know it yet. The Unabomber was arrested and the Backstreet Boys, they dropped their very first album. Great year. But '96 was huge for another reason. That year, Dietrich launched Red Bull in America and created the energy drink market as we know it today. I know, '96.

So when Red Bull launched in America, it was a cult hit and it did well for like a lot of reasons. First of all, the brand was consistent. Initially they offered one product in one flavor and like that was it. Great. No options, like just one thing and they were good at it. Like second of all, instead of competing with the big soda guys for space in the cooler at places like gas stations, they created their own cooler.

Red Bull gave away these mini countertop fridges to stores. Yeah, you've seen those because they're still around.

Brilliant, huh? Lastly, Dietrich knew his drink could be easily copied. I mean, all the ingredients were listed right on the can, so they needed good marketing to set themselves apart. One of the ways they did that and still do it to this very day is super unique cartoon commercials. Maybe you've seen them, maybe you haven't, you probably have, but they're really simple cartoons that feature a guy or a girl with like rosy cheeks,

bad squiggle lines, squinty eyes in different situations. In one Red Bull commercial from the year 2000, like a bird poops on a cartoon guy's shoulder. So he drinks the Red Bull.

He grows wings and then he flies above the bird, unbuckles his pants and is about to poop on the bird to pay him back. But just before he does, the commercial cuts away and of course, like every Red Bull commercial, it ends with "Red Bull gives you wings." And you're like, "Hell yeah, I've always wanted to poop on a bird." Like, "Yeah," you know? But like, the Red Bull gives you wings, when I was younger, I always thought that had to do something with like pads.

You know pads with wings. Yeah, I thought it was like something like that. I didn't understand. I have a unique way of thinking. So I was thinking pads...

But it wasn't the same. Great. Glad we had that talk. Not long after Red Bull came onto the scene, the market was like flooded with competitors. Rockstar Energy drinks came out in 2001. Monster Energy showed up in 2002. And by 2003, the beverage industry experts at BevNet tracked over 300 energy drink brands in the United States. That's a lot. And then in 2003,

A former monk from Michigan, yeah, he was at a trade show in California when inspiration just struck him like lightning. He was like, "What if energy drinks were tiny?" Anyone? He also wanted a drink that had no sugar and zero unknown stimulants. So this guy, our monk over here, he goes out and invents five-hour energy.

Well, I know. And this product becomes huge with people who want energy, but like, I don't know, I guess don't want to pee a lot. People like long haul truckers or people who like to party. By 2004, Red Bull is killing it globally. Customers purchased about 1.9 billion cans of the energy drink worldwide. And this earned the company about $2 billion in revenue.

But in the US, the company wasn't as successful as they wanted it to be. So to help America see what the rest of the world saw, Dietrich spent about $600 million on marketing. I mean, they weren't spending all that money on those squiggly lines, obviously, right? Looked like a kid drew that. It's like, okay. First of all, energy drinks, they make like bold promises. They offer tons of benefits, like better focus, increased energy,

improved performance, whatever that means. Kind of sounds sexual, but maybe that's just me. And then they use official sounding phrases like scientifically formulated. You're like, oh, and then speeds up recovery time.

It's like, what am I recovering from? I don't know, but I need it. And the other thing these energy drink companies do is they make their brands seem aspirational. Like they can give you a life that you've always wanted. A high performing, high flying rock star kind of life. Like, oh my God, don't you want to be cool? Don't you want to be like us and fucking party? Drink this, Kenny. You'll be just like us. Oh,

Over time, most of these energy drink companies shifted their focus from older professionals and began targeting their ad campaigns at teens and college kids. And like the demo was getting younger and younger. I mean, what do these kids reach for when they need to cram for a test or like stay up late writing a paper?

They aren't making a pot of coffee. Even though the coffee is cheaper and just as effective. And do you think Red Bull was mad when college kids started making Red Bull vodkas? I mean, hell no. It was already a mixer in Europe by this point anyway.

Now, it's a really bad, horrible combination for you, Red Bull and vodka. You see, the upper of an energy drink and the downer of alcohol, not great. Red Bull gets the benefit of the sales without ever promoting it or endorsing it. I mean, their hands are clean, legally.

The reason why Red Bull vodkas are so dangerous is because the energy drink can trick you into thinking that you're more sober than you actually are. You see, when I go out, sometimes I personally, I...

I like a Red Bull vodka. The last time I had a bunch of Red Bull vodkas, I had way too many. Like four. And yeah, whoops. I was like blacked out, but I was wide awake. It was such a... I did not like that combination. I didn't do anything productive. I just stayed up all night. But I don't remember. The fuck was that? You know, it was just a waste of a day. But I like the taste, so...

Fuck me, you know? Anywho, don't do it, it's dangerous. Okay, great, glad we had this talk. The more you know.

So all these companies rely on word of mouth advertising and also they totally benefit from peer pressure. And that's why like 20 years ago, if you remember, you saw like a lot of brand ambassadors. Essentially, it was just hot chicks driving around in a Red Bull car and they'd walk around like with these little backpacks on and they'd be like, hey, do you want a Red Bull?

You should have one. It's like so good. Tits out. You're like, okay, sure. Plus Red Bull was at all these huge events in the early 2000s, like X Games and Lollapalooza, the music festival. So it's like a lot of young kids there. And these events didn't have contracts with Coca-Cola. No, they had it with Red Bull. And it was smart because you want to party. You want to have fun. And you're like, I need energy.

They fucked with us and we didn't even know it. Red Bull also used something called guerrilla marketing. And this is when like a company uses unique ways to boost brand awareness and sales. And I guess Red Bull is like the king of this. First of all, I learned about this the other day. They did something called anti-marketing.

It's like, okay. Instead of using positive selling tactics, like talking about the benefits of a product, instead they got a little creative. So like with Red Bull, they would send people into crowded locations to place empty cans all over. Yeah. Like at clubs and college campuses, which is like such a mindfuck. It's like, I don't want to believe that happened, but maybe it did.

You know, on one hand, I mean, it could just be looked at as trash. But on the other hand, it's kind of like where Red Bull is like kind of genius because it's like, oh, man, you know, people must love Red Bull because there's like 10 cans over there and they're all empty. So I should get one, too. I mean, Red Bull, Red Bull. And all of a sudden you want a Red Bull. You probably want one now because I've said it so many times. Oh, my God. I know I want one. No, I don't.

Plus, if there's like a hundred of these cans laying around, you know, it sends a message that like, "Oh, people really love this shit. Might as well like buy one and try it." It was pretty much a fake it till you make it strategy to make the brand like seem more popular than it actually was. Damn, smart. Red Bull also gets creative with their marketing money. Instead of spending millions on one giant celeb to push their product, you know, like with Pepsi teaming up with Britney,

I know I love that commercial. The Britney Pepsi. It's like, you know, if you know, you know. But they didn't want to do that. Okay. Red Bull instead spreads their money out and like sponsors hundreds of alternative and extreme athletes. Red Bull was like ahead of their time on this one because like now we would call these people influencers. But back then, you know, it wasn't. Like these were athletes who did crazy things to get in the headlines and whatnot.

So they were like, let's partner with those guys. Like in 2012, there was this guy who took a helium balloon up to the Earth's stratosphere and then jumped out of it. He reached like a top speed of 843 miles per hour, which is faster than the speed of sound.

So, okay. But, um, Red Bull, like, partners with this guy. And they get major press because, like, Red Bull is everywhere. And, like, I still don't quite understand what the... What was the point of that? What was the point? I'm not sure. I don't know. You can watch the video. Don't. I mean, you can. But, like, I don't know what the point was. I guess there is no point. Maybe that's the point. Maybe that's the point. Ah!

Honestly though, Red Bull was like the OG content creator doing all sorts of things to like get people talking. On top of all this, they had their own or they have their own record label. I know Red Bull. I was like, what? A magazine, an F1 racing team. And they even have their own made up sport called, I don't know, Flugtag?

Flugtag. Let me know what that is, 'cause I don't know. Now here's why marketing is so important. In 2012, the US energy drink industry had about $12.5 billion in sales. When they market the drink as a performance enhancer and make the experience all about living like a cool lifestyle,

people look at it differently. It's almost as if people will pay a premium price for a shot at a premium life. And that was like the core of Red Bull's philosophy when it came to marketing. Like don't bring the product to the consumer, bring the consumer to the product. And they attract them by doing cool shit. They're like, look at what we can do.

Look at what I can do. And it was like Red Bull. It's always sports stuff though, huh? Yeah. Hmm. I didn't think about that. They don't do like Red Bull ice skating. Figure skating with Red Bull. Ballet with Red Bull.

So when it comes to energy drinks, it all comes down really to marketing. It can make or break a company. Shake for example this next story. Meet Russ Weiner. Weiner. Okay, but Russ, he had an idea for an energy drink back around the year 2000. So

He took the idea and he like pitched it to the company he was working for. He said, hey guys, I got an idea. Can I pitch it to you? And this company was Sky Vodka. And so he pitches it to them and they're like, no, Ross, stop being a whiner and just get back to work.

Okay. But like no one believed in him. Okay. His dreams were crushed. But you know what? Russ believed in Russ. He's like, I know this is some good shit. So he took out a $50,000 mortgage on his home and he used that money to develop a drink. And then whatever money he had left over, he spent on a limo. Okay. He got this limo and he painted on the side of the limo like this new logo and started passing out free drinks.

free drinks around San Francisco. He also hired some hot sexy bitches to wear like black and gold bikinis, you know, 'cause tits. And then he's like, "Yeah, drink this." "What? Oh my God, you want this?" And like, can you guess what this drink was that he invented? Well, if you guessed Rockstar, you are correct. Rockstar, huh? Yeah.

So lame. Oh my God. I know this is gonna be a really douchey thing for me to say, but I'm gonna say it anyways. All the guys I know who drink Rockstars are so douchey. Think about it. Marinate on that for a minute. The ones that are loyal to Rockstar are low key douchey. There goes my sponsorship with Rockstar. But I mean, facts.

Come on. Anywho, but good for him. Good for Russ. He did something and it was very successful. People love Rockstar. No, I'm kidding. But like, yeah, successful. And he ended up like making Rockstar and it was like doing so well that he sold it to Pepsi. So fuck me, you know, because he made about like $3.2 billion off this douchey drink.

Yeah. And all because this product showed consumers that rock stars just live amazingly cool lives and like you can too. Which is so embarrassing.

Like, oh my god, we're so lame. Anyhow, so in a crowded field of energy drinks, you know, you really gotta be creative to stand out. You have to think outside the box. And it was only a matter of time before, like, someone came along and gave us the mashup that we've been DIYing all along. Oh, oh, what a time to be alive this was, huh? Energy drinks plus booze equals fun and felonies. Am I right up top?

Spring has sprung and summer's just around the corner. Ah, people love that, don't they? So you can pack your bag with like sunscreen, your emotional support water bottle, and that steamy beach read. But wait, wait, this year there's a new kind of essential that's right at your fingertips. Maybe skip the steamy beach read and download the Dipsy app.

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In 1999, there were three frat brothers at Ohio State who were, they were doing what like most college kids do at the time. They were mixing energy drinks with booze at their parties. So they see this catch on at sororities and then at bars. And they think to themselves like, what if we took this concoction, put it in a can and sold it to people?

Like, okay. Now, they weren't the first to think of this. There was already a product like this on the market. It was called Sparks. You probably don't remember. No one does. But it was made with caffeine, taurine, ginseng, and malt liquor.

Yeah. No, but the frat brothers, they thought they could do better. So in 2005, they created a company called Fusion Projects. And the mission of this company was to create caffeinated alcohol.

Period. No other products. So they spent a few years doing research and development. And then in 2008, they struck gold. They gambled on an idea and like went all in. Their invention came in a 23.5 ounce can and had caffeine, taurine, guarana, and wormwood. Say wormwood like 200 times. Wormwood. That was hard for me. But yeah, they did that.

If you don't know, like wormwood is an active ingredient in absinthe. Absinthe can make you see stuff. So great idea, guys. This drink was promising to deliver, you know, wild nights and forgettable moments. So the booze content, it was 12%, okay? And this thing was pure Anka rocket fuel and they called it

Four logo. Oh fuck, I know. Four for the four energy ingredients and logo because it's generally

Crazy to drink. Experts say drinking just one of these four locos was like drinking six beers, one espresso shot, and one Red Bull. All in one can. And the best part? The price was just $2.50. Oh no. This is bad. This is so bad. I mean, oh wow. You can get...

Wasted for that cheap? Oh yes you could. And people lost their minds when they found out about this stuff. College kids around the country gave it a nickname. They called it, quote, "a blackout in a can."

No, yes. No, yep. And unfortunately, where there is memory loss, there just happens to be some crime. So like this comes out, people are drinking it and like headlines pop up where people blame their insane actions on, you know, the four loco. There was robbery, assault, destruction of property, rape, murder.

Yeah, Four Loko. And people were like, Four Loko made me do it. And like, I mean, that's real bad, okay? The first time I had a, I have a Four Loko experience. Okay, I drank a Four Loko one time. And I'm not kidding you. This one time I drank a Four Loko, I blacked out. But I went streaking.

on a busy street. It wasn't like a quiet like neighborhood. It was a busy ass street and my ass went streaky. I was like 21, 22. I don't know how old I was. I was young. Okay. And I fully blame the Four Loko. I saw pictures. I didn't need to see that. It was wild. After that, I was like, I'm never drinking that again. Like that was, it was too much for me. Anyhow, so LOL. LOL.

So just as quickly as 4Loco launched, problems started rolling in. So in the fall of 2008, 15 students from two different universities went to the hospital after chugging 4Locos. Not great. Now this caught the attention of the Food and Drug Administration. Yeah, not the rape or murder or anything like that. The guy chugging the 4Locos. But in 2010,

They went on to say that there is no evidence that mixing caffeine and booze is safe. So colleges, they started banning Fur Loco. States, they outlaw it and people start hoarding it because it's such a cheap buzz and they're worried that it's going to go away. I mean, and they were right. In November of 2010, the guys at Fusion announced that they're removing the caffeine, guarana, and taurine.

And the company was left with about $30 million of inventory that they couldn't sell. So the ride or dies of Four Loko literally like held, I'm not kidding, they held a candlelight vigil in Union Square in New York in honor of the original recipe.

Overnight, an underground market springs up where people are selling OG4 logos for like 50 bucks a pop. So it was just a matter of time before some company pushed the boundary so much that it raised the questions people should have been asking all along. Can energy drinks be trusted?

Are they horrible for us? I mean, first of all, energy drinks promise enhanced mental and physical performance, right? But it's a very subjective thing to say. Like, how do you actually measure that?

In reality, the evidence shows that if anything quote unquote works, it's the caffeine, not necessarily the other stuff in the energy drink. And then the safety of these energy drinks are questioned because negative health impacts are linked to them. I mean, for example, 2011, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that 20,783 people went to the ER after drinking energy drinks. I mean, that's 2011.

And of that number, 1,499 of them were kids aged 12 to 17. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that caffeine and other stimulants in energy drinks should never be consumed by kids or teenagers, yet 30 to 50% of them report drinking energy drinks.

Oh, that's not good. I mean, here's what we do know. Energy drinks significantly increase the risk of caffeine intoxication. If you're like me, you're like, caffeine intoxication? That's a thing? Is that a thing? Really? Is that a thing? It's a thing. It's a very real thing. Experts say like symptoms include restlessness, twitching,

gastrointestinal problems, and chronic daily headaches. And on top of that, there are even four psychiatric disorders that can be linked to energy drinks. Two of them are quote, caffeine-induced anxiety disorder and caffeine-induced sleep disorder.

Oh my God. So it's like not just about getting the jitters. There are some real long-term consequences. Which reminds me, did you guys watch that True Life episode of I'm Addicted to Energy Drinks? Tell me you watched that. It was on MTV years ago. And these people were addicted to energy drinks. And there was this girl, I'll never forget her. She was like tweaking out because she couldn't stop drinking energy drinks. And she looked like she was 40 years old.

and a smoker and I don't mean that like I mean like a hard 40 but she was like 20 oh it had aged her horribly and she just oh I'll never forget it it scared me look up that episode it's on Hulu I think let me know in the comment section it's wild it's rough and it's scary

Anyways, one study of 15 and 16 year olds showed a connection between high caffeine intake and violent behavior. There are several reports that suggest energy drinks contribute to stroke and seizures.

On top of that, if a person has enough caffeine, they can hallucinate. What? Yeah. Not to mention all the sugar increases the risk for obesity and diabetes. And somehow when you hear that stuff, you're like, hmm, bored. Don't care. You know, we still don't really care. And I don't know why. How do we get us to care?

I don't know. I think because we're so like everything causes obesity and diabetes in America feels like. So it's like just add it to the list, right?

Anyhow, in 2021, Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine reported that there have been at least 34 deaths linked to energy drinks over the years. I say at least because it's believed that the number is like much higher. And the reason is because it's on the consumers to report bad experiences with energy drinks to the Food and Drug Administration. Meaning like it's voluntary. Like no one is enforcing it. So.

So you have to report it, you know? So only a small number gets reported. Like the story of a niece, Fournier. Why are you still in your winter clothes? I mean, you know this is Southern California and you're about to get heat stroke real quick. What's that? Yeah, I know. I hate shopping too. Ugh, it's the worst, isn't it? You gotta like put stuff on, you take it off. It's annoying.

But that's why I like using Stitch Fix. With Stitch Fix, you get a stylist who understands your style, size, and budget. Plus, get this, they do all the shopping for you. Ah, we love that. It's the easiest way to transform your wardrobe this season. I mean, all you have to do is give your stylist your size, style, and budget preferences,

and then you order boxes when you want and how you want, and there's no subscription required. Plus they send five just for you pieces, outfit recommendations, and pro styling tips. So you won't be like, "Ah, what do I pair this item with?" You know, that struggle. When you get your Stitch, you just keep what you love and then you send back the rest. Shipping returns and exchanges are always free.

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That's stitchfix.com/darkhistory for $20 off. Stitchfix.com/darkhistory. Must redeem within seven days of sign up. A niece was 14 years old when she was just being a teenager and like hanging out with her friend. Apparently she drank two 24 ounce Monster Energy drinks in a 24 hour period.

Now, before you're like, oh, well, where was her mom? She showed up and like watching what she was drinking, whatever.

Shut your mouth. Because so many like teenagers after school, you're hanging out with friends. You go to the local convenience store. You pick up a drink. Like no one's carding you to get energy drinks. You know what I'm saying? Like it's so easy to get them. And if you're a parent who works, you can't patrol your teenager all the time. You know? So like just want to stop it before I see those comments. Because I know some of you will. Anywho. She drinks two 24 ounce monster drinks in less than 24 hours. So...

Well, her mom comes home or...

answers the room and like finds her slumped on her side on the couch. And I guess she like tapped her, her daughter's cheek and she's calling her name, you know? And I guess Anise gasped for a moment and then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she stopped breathing. Anise was put into a medically induced coma so doctors could regain control of her vital signs. But unfortunately they couldn't. On December 23rd, 2009,

2011, Anise Fournier passed away. And while other families were like opening Christmas presents and like celebrating the holiday, so sad, her family was suffering this major loss and Anise was undergoing an autopsy. The autopsy report stated she quote, "'Died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine toxicity that impeded her heart's ability to pump blood.'"

The Fournier family filed a lawsuit against Monster for wrongful death. Monster Energy and the family ended up settling a lawsuit in the summer of 2015. We don't know how much they settled for, but either way, it's not gonna bring their daughter back. You know? It was just sad.

And then there's the other side of the energy drink people. You know, a lot of the supporters claim that there are actually tons of benefits to the beverage. And to be fair, you know, there's always two sides to every story. And so like, are there benefits to drinking energy drinks? Well, several studies and reports say, yes, I'd bet that they were being paid by these energy drink companies.

Should have looked into this too much. But look, it's been shown that like improved memory, there's better reaction time, better concentration, increased alertness and elevated mood have been linked to, you know, sipping on energy drinks. Yeah, probably because you're all caffeinated out. You're like, yeah! And like, you just...

Right? And there's another major study that says energy drinks can enhance aerobic endurance and performance. I know most people doing these are not doing aerobics. Is that what they're getting at? What's aerobic endurance?

It doesn't matter. That's because like there are some proven ingredients that affect us functionally, like B vitamins. But even when studies are like showing that energy drinks can have some positive effects, there's still a disclaimer. According to a report published in the International Journal of Health Sciences, it says, quote, "Over-ambitious marketing and non-scientific claims should be regulated by governments until independent studies confirm that these products are safe."

Yeah, you would think, huh? But not here in America. Unfortunately, in the digital age, regulating the marketing of energy drinks is pretty much impossible.

In 2013, two senators launched an investigation on energy drinks and released a report called Buzzkill. It was kind of a great name. I'll give them that. It showed that energy drink companies frequently targeted high school kids and young kids with social media ad campaigns. So that Buzzkill report found that energy drink flavors, packaging, and marketing are designed to appeal to young people.

And they're like, we did it, you guys. Case closed. That's all they did with that information. So it sounds like there are a whole lot of red flags waving in the world of energy drinks, right? Predatory marketing campaigns seem to be happening. There's too much caffeine floating out around there. There are young, healthy kids having heart attacks and young people are dying. So it's like,

How the hell does the energy drink industry get away with all this? Well, it's a tale as old as time. Tale as old as time. Don't you love that song? I know, too bad. It's kind of like we're ruining it. But energy drink companies, they exploit a nice big...

legal loophole. And it all comes down to a simple question. Are energy drinks considered food or a dietary supplement? You see, if it's a food, certain laws apply to the ingredients and labeling of the product. But even then, our expert calls this a quote, ask for forgiveness market. Meaning there is no prior approval for food and non-alcoholic beverages, which is like a

That's so scary. Like if some ingredients are reported as problematic, then the FDA sends a warning letter. They're like, "Hey, don't do that." And then the company says like, "Oh, sorry, won't happen again." But look, if it's considered a dietary supplement,

It's kind of like the Wild West and like pretty much anything goes. Yeah, I mean, which is kind of weird, huh? Because you think dietary supplement, I would assume supplement would have more like rules and regulations for some reason.

Uh, but yeah, there's none. I could put, I could shit right now in, um, a can and water it down. And I'll be like, Hey, this will give you energy. And I could sell it. And I'm like, yeah, this is great. Like energy. And then you guys would all be drinking my shit. And guess what? I could do that. So isn't that a little concerning? Aren't we concerned with that being said, I have something to show you. I've been working on just kidding. Paul's holding it over here. It's called Jones. What's that called? It's called Joan bowl.

No, she didn't shit in a can and we wanted... No, we didn't do that. It gives you wings, you see? Wings. Yeah, we didn't test it or anything. But don't you want it? Because it has Joan's name on it. And look, tits. Now you really want it. Don't you want to be like us? Huh, Joan? Okay, great. You can find it at your local Dollar Tree. 99 cents because I want everyone to have it.

Joan does. Not me. Lots of flavors. There's delicious chocolate, California raisin, cilantro, bird food. Like, there's lots of flavors, depending on what was eaten the day before. Yeah, you can find it at your local Dollar Tree. You're welcome, world. So, with that being said, aren't you a little worried?

If you could do that so easily, isn't that a little concerning? Like nobody is checking. And I hope I'm not giving anyone ideas out there. But like no one is checking. Is that not scary? Oh my God. Yeah. And we're drinking it. I drink it. I'm a hypocrite. And then here's the best part. The company itself, Joan over here, if she shits in a can, she can decide if the product is food or a supplement.

She's like, hey, it's a supplement. Then I could skip all the regulations. And guess what? Some energy drink companies categorize their beverages as a supplement. That's because the ingredients in dietary supplements are not required to have FDA approval before they're sold to humans. You're drinking shit.

I'm just kidding. I'm gonna get sued, aren't I? Damn it. Anyhow, but like the FDA doesn't, they do not regulate the amount of caffeine and other stimulants or anything that is found in energy drinks. That should be the takeaway, really, right? That's a bigger problem. So here's a good example of a difference between food and supplement. Now, according to the FDA, soda is food.

Don't ask questions. Soda is food. So it can't have more than 71 milligrams of caffeine in a 12 ounce can and claim to be soda. You can't do that. No, no. But for the energy drinks that are labeled as supplements, there is no rule for the caffeine content.

There's no rule. A bunch of other countries consider energy drinks to be so dangerous that they will not sell to kids. On January 1st, 2024, it's last year, Poland, oh, it is this year. It's 2024, my bad. Poland, they made it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy energy drinks. Holy shit, I know they did that. Norway, they banned the advertising of unhealthy food to children under 18.

Now, I don't know about you, it seems like they care, don't they? Yeah. I mean, this new law bans selling energy drinks to kids younger than 16. In general, things are stricter in Canada and Europe. When it comes to caffeine content and warning labels, the European Union says that they must be slapped on the front of the can. But in the U.S., caffeine content is usually like...

teeny tiny in this tiny little font, you need like a little magnifying glass on the back of the can. And it's lost in the mix of everything else. Like you'll never see it. You'll never see it. And at the end of the day, there is no legal limit to the amount of caffeine that companies can put in energy drinks. Again, it's very concerning.

Most health experts and the FDA agree that up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day is safe for an adult. 400 milligrams. But just one 16-ounce can of Bang Energy has 300 milligrams of caffeine in it.

Oh dear. Yeah. But I know the Bing Energy, like they're so cute looking. You kind of want one. It's sick. It's sick. I'm making excuses because the can is cute. Now you can argue that kids can just as easily buy soda and coffee like whenever they want, which also have caffeine. But in my opinion, energy drinks are just marketed different.

It's like they're targeting kids and no one seems to be enforcing anything, right? And it feels like that's how energy drink companies like it because it helped them bring in like about $20 billion in revenue in America just last year. You think they're going to stop? I don't think so. Someone once told me advertising puts a product in a person's mind, but marketing puts a product in someone's heart.

So that's why I think energy drinks are personal to people. They're tied to a lifestyle and identity. And when they don't deliver, people get salty. Like in 2013, a man named Benjamin, he sued Red Bull for false advertising. He said that the drink promised to give him wings. Oh yes. Oh yes. He drank it for 10 years and he's like, I didn't fucking grow wings. Okay. He said,

Not only did he didn't get wings, but also he didn't even get an energy boost. He's like, I'm fucking suing because it's America. And the court agreed and award the plaintiffs $13 million. How about we just start suing all these companies, huh? Who's in? So I don't know. Maybe it's on us.

I hate blaming us. Well, I mean, whatever. Like, maybe it's on us for buying the energy drinks and, like, believe in the BS and, like, these special abilities we get from them. But, and, like, yeah, maybe it works and stuff, but, like, when do these companies have to take any responsibility?

What I do know is that you can pop into any convenience store, gas station, whatever. Energy drinks are cheap. They come in delicious candy-like flavors. And they are cute packaging. Some of them are so colorful and you're like, ooh. It's like they're aggressively marketing towards kids. Like they'll have cute names like Unicorn Rainbow Flakes. And you're like, what?

I know a 45-year-old isn't drinking that. Well, they might be, but you know, like, that's for kids. And what I'm getting at is, like, none of that is on us. Stop blaming us. But maybe things are moving in the right direction because Connecticut is considering a law that would ban the sale of energy drinks to kids under 16. So there's that. Guess we can't sell our energy, your energy drink there, Joan.

But I'll leave you with something fun. I found a slogan generator online. So I put my name as the prompt. You know, when I launched my own competing energy drink to Jones. And my slogan will be, come to life. Come to Bailey. Yeah, drink bays. You get it? B-A-Y-S. Right next to yours.

So yeah, teenagers love energy drink. I think everyone kind of low-key loves an energy drink, but you know what else people love? No, not that. Gossip. Yeah, I mean, we all love some gossip. The minute someone looks over their shoulder to see if anyone is around and then starts talking in a hushed tone, I am listening. And there's a lot of like hand movements and they're like, girl, and they're doing all this.

I'm in. You know, tell me everything, Barbara. Tell me. And that made me wonder. Gossip is a very powerful thing. It has been around forever and it's like we can be addicted to it. But who invented American gossip as we know it today? And like when did Hollywood gossip begin? I think it actually started in the Bible, huh?

Well, turns out this story starts with a gossipy little officer in the American Civil War and ends with an actress in the golden age of Hollywood. Come back next week for the dark history of gossip.

Well, friends, thank you for hanging out with me today. What did we learn? Uh-huh. Mm-hmm. Great. I love that. Good for you. Hey, did you know you can join me over on my YouTube where you can actually watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs? And while you're there, you can also catch my murder, mystery, and makeup. It's on Mondays. Don't forget to like and subscribe because I come with, like, content every week. Yeah, I do. Check it out. So subscribe. Okay, great.

I'd love to hear your guys' reactions to today's story, so make sure to leave a comment down below in the comment section or use the hashtag Dark History over on social media so I can see what you're saying. But leave a comment because we read comments here. We, meaning me. But Joan reads too. Okay, but let's read some comments that you guys left me. Username Lame7814 says,

left us a comment on our Kennedy episode saying, "Fun fact: The White House pool is now the press room you see on TV. It was simply drained and filled with chairs. You can absolutely tell it was a pool. Very little effort was made to disguise this, except for the podium and draping you see on TV. It is quite small by both pool and press room standards."

I can't believe they would cover up the pool. I mean how cool it would be to be like, "I went swimming at the White House." Because people would be like, "What? You went swimming at the White House? They have a pool?" And you'd be like, "Yeah, they have a pool!" But now you can't even see that because they don't even have a pool anymore. Just a press room?

Well, thanks for sharing the fun fact. I definitely love that. Username lame. Great fun fact. XX Monica Lewinsky had a question for me. Hey mother, I need to know which character was your favorite in Recess? Spinelli. Need I say more Spinelli all day? That's right. Alika Dahlia had an episode suggestion for us. Can you do the dark history of April Fool's?

That's a great episode suggestion because yeah, why? Why, when, where, how, what, how? Who's responsible for literally like making the first day of April a joke? That's a good one. I like that. Thanks for the recommendation. I will look into this and report back. Thank you so much. I love you guys for watching and also for engaging and commenting. Don't forget to leave a comment down below because maybe you'll be featured in our next episode.

And hey, if you don't know, Dark History is an Audioboom original. A special thank you to our expert, John Craven, founder and CEO of BevNet. And I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good rest of your day. You make good choices. And I will be talking to you guys next week. Goodbye.

I'm Stanzi Potenza. And I'm Brad Padre. Launching June 13th is our new podcast, Late to the Party. In this post-ironic chat show, we'll show you a window into our world of crazy post-ironic thoughts. An unlikely friendship founded on a shared love for riffs, ranting, and getting absolutely wrecked.

Consider this an invitation to our inside jokes. You're late to the party, but no one cool ever shows up on time. Follow Late to the Party on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to this kind of stuff.