By Tim Lambert
2737 BC According to legend tea is discovered by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung
1000 AD According to legend coffee is discovered around this time
c 1450 Coffee is drunk in Yemen
c 1550 Coffee is drunk in Turkey and Persia
1610 The Dutch introduce tea into Europe
1651 A coffee house opens in Oxford
1652 A coffee house opens in London
1657 Tea is first sold in England
1658 Tea is advertised in England as China drink
1662 King Charles II marries Catherine of Braganza. She makes drinking tea fashionable.
1689 The first coffee house opens in North America
1773 The Boston tea party takes place in the North American colonies
1776 A law is passed in Britain against adulterating tea
1784 The tax on tea in Britain is greatly reduced
1839 Tea from India is first sold in Britain
1865 The first American coffee percolator is patented
