Charles Elmer Hires (August 19, 1851—July 31, 1937) was the inventor of root beer. He was a pharmacist from Philadelphia who invented the eponymous Hires Root Beer beverage on May 16, 1866. At the age of 12 he worked as a drugstore boy. When he was 16 he moved to Philadelphia and worked in a Pharmacy, saving his money until he had nearly $400. Using this money he started his own drugstore. Some say Hires discovered root beer on his honeymoon in New Jersey where the woman who ran his honeymoon hotel served root tea. Hires was originally going to call his drink "root tea" also but thought that "root beer" would be more appealing to the working class. Originally, Hires packaged the mixture in boxes and sold it to housewives and soda fountains. They needed to mix in water, sugar, and yeast. The drink was slow to catch on but Reverand Dr. Russell Conwell persuaded Hires to present his product at the 1876 U.S. Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. To make it stand out he said his drink was "The Temperance Drink" and "the greatest health giving beverage in the world". Hires was active in the temperance movement, and it is believed that he wanted root beer to be an alternitive to alcohol. Jump to: navigation, search August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining, as the final day of July. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Root beer is a beverage made from a combination of vanilla, cherry tree bark, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, sassafras root bark, nutmeg, anise, and molasses among other things. ... Pharmacists are health professionals who practice pharmacy. ... Jump to: navigation, search Independence Hall Philadelphia (sometimes referred to as Philly or the City of Brotherly Love) is the fifth most populous city in the United States and the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, both in area and population. ... Hires Root Beer is a soft drink marketed by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1866 is a common year starting on Monday. ...