500 A.D. legend has it that Kaldi, an Ethiopian shepherd, discovers the invigorating virtues of coffee cherries—the red outer shell containing green coffee beans — trying them roasted and ground

1500 A.D. Coffee arrives in Damascus, Cairo and Istanbul

1591 A.D. Prospero Alpini, a doctor from Padua, describes coffee in De Medicina Aegyptiorum, an account of Egyptian medical practices

1645 A.D. Venice’s first coffee shop opens

1700 A.D. Coffee spreads throughout Europe, and coffee plants are exported to its colonies

1737 A.D. Linnaeus classifies the plant under the genus Coffea