Q 01/05

In 1989 the Soviet Union paid PepsiCo for its cola partly with what unusual military hardware?

A) Surplus tanks

B) Attack helicopters

C) Old warships

D) Army trucks

Answer · why

C) Old warships

Old warships were the payment: 17 submarines, a cruiser, a frigate and a destroyer, which PepsiCo promptly sold for scrap. The same deal brought it tw...

Q 02/05

What did Pepsi give every employee in April 1985 to celebrate Coca-Cola's announcement of New Coke?

A) A day off

B) A cash bonus

C) A gold watch

D) A share of stock

Answer · why

A) A day off

A day off was declared across the company by Pepsi executive Roger Enrico, who also bought a full-page newspaper advert claiming victory in the cola w...

Q 03/05

What military aircraft did student John Leonard try to claim from Pepsi for 7,000,000 Pepsi Points?

A) An Apache helicopter

B) A Stealth bomber

C) A Hercules transport

D) A Harrier jet

Answer · why

D) A Harrier jet

A Harrier jet appeared in a Pepsi advert as a joke prize, so Leonard posted a cheque for about $700,000 to buy the points. A court ruled that no reaso...

Q 04/05

Where did Coke and Pepsi both send specially designed cans in July 1985 for a head-to-head test?

A) The South Pole

B) Earth orbit

C) Mount Everest

D) The Sahara Desert

Answer · why

B) Earth orbit

Earth orbit was the venue, on a shuttle flight whose crew tried both colas. The cans fizzed too much in weightlessness and could not be chilled, and t...

Q 05/05

What did Pepsi do in 2006 when a Coca-Cola secretary tried to sell it her employer's trade secrets?

A) Quietly bought the documents

B) Ignored the letter

C) Hired the secretary

D) Warned its competitor

Answer · why

D) Warned its competitor

Pepsi warned its competitor and the FBI, whose agents then posed as Pepsi executives in a sting. The secretary, Joya Williams, was arrested along with...