Legend A goatherd discovered the coffee plant as a drink, date unknown.

800s First record of coffee drinking by the Mufti people of Aden.

1453 A Turkish law was established, allowing a woman to divorce her husband if he didn't give her coffee!

Coffee became popular in Europe, but was banned in several places.
Pope Clement VIII banned the drinking of coffee.

1511 The Governor of Mecca, Khair Beg, tried to ban coffee for fear that it might promote opposition to his rule. As a result, he was executed by the Sultan.
1570Coffee made its appearance in Venice, along with tobacco

End of 15th century Modern coffee was invented.

1600 Coffee was introduced to the West by Italian traders
1645 The first coffee house opened in Italy
1650 Coffee flourished in India
1652 The first coffee house opened in England
1656 Coffee drinking prohibited and coffee houses closed in Turkey
1669 Coffee became popular in Europe

1672 The first coffee house opened in Paris
1690 The Dutch became the first one to transport and cultivate coffee commercially, to Sri Lanka and Java
1668Coffee replaced beer as the most popular breakfast drink in New York
1697Captain John Smith introduced coffee into North America

1714Coffee introduced into America
1721 The first coffee house opened in Berlin
1732Johann Sebastian Bach composed his Coffee Canata (Kaffee Kanata)
1773Drinking coffee was made a patriotic duty in America

1822 First espresso machine made in France
1825Coffee was introduced into Hawaii
1865 James Mason invented the coffee percolator
1887Coffee made it way to Indochina
1896Coffee taken to Australia

Early 1900sAfternoon coffee became a standard occassion in Germany.
1901 Luigi Bezzera invented a machine that would extract flavour from coffee beans.
1901 Instant coffee was invented by a Japanese American chemist.
1908 Melitta Bentz invented the first coffee filter.
1909 Instant coffee was first marketed.

1938 Nescafe (freezed-dried coffee) was invented.
1942 During World War II, American soldiers are issued instant Maxwell House coffee in their ration kits
1971Starbucks opened its first stores in Seattle

Coffee is industrialised and becomes the most important agriculture commodity - the revenue generated is below only cotton.