Ep 3. Atlanta

In Drunk History season 1 episode 3, viewers are taken on a wild ride through the history of Atlanta. The premise of the show is simple: a different guest actor every episode gets drunk, and then narrates a historical event or period. The story is then acted out by a cast of comedians and actors with hilarious results.

In this particular episode, we learn about how Atlanta got its name. The drunken storyteller takes the audience back to the Civil War, when the city was still a small settlement known as Terminus. Union General William T. Sherman was marching through Georgia, burning everything in his path, when he and his troops arrived at Terminus. The city's inhabitants begged him not to burn their homes, and in exchange, offered to rename the town after him. Sherman, being the prankster he was, suggested they name the town after his mule instead, and thus, Atlanta was born.

The episode also delves into the history of Atlanta's beloved Coca-Cola. The drunken narrator explains that the secret formula for the beverage was invented in a pharmacy by a man named John Pemberton. However, when Prohibition hit, Pemberton had to remove the alcohol from the recipe, and he eventually sold the recipe to a businessman named Asa Candler. Candler was instrumental in turning Coca-Cola into the global corporation it is today, but he was also known for some questionable business practices. The episode provides a hilarious reenactment of one of Candler's rival soda makers attempting to sabotage a giant floating Coca-Cola advertisement.

Another interesting tidbit from this episode is the story of Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone with the Wind. The drunken narrator details Mitchell's life growing up in Atlanta and how she came to write the famous novel. We also learn about the controversy surrounding the book, and how it was received differently by different groups of people. The episode culminates in an outrageous reenactment of the famous burning of Atlanta scene from the movie adaptation of the book.

Throughout the episode, viewers are also treated to hilarious drunken tangents from the narrator. At one point, he goes on a rant about how he doesn't understand why anyone would want to ride a horse, and later, he ponders whether birds have ears or not. These digressions add to the overall comedic tone of the show and keep the audience entertained.

Overall, Drunk History season 1 episode 3 is an entertaining look at the history of Atlanta. It provides great insight into how the city got its name, the creation of Coca-Cola, and the controversy surrounding Gone with the Wind. The reenactments are hilarious, and the drunken narration adds a unique and entertaining twist to the historical storytelling.