Ulysses S. Grant was President and the population of America hovered at 39 million, when in 1870 J. Herman Pine hung out a confectionery shingle on 8th Street above Walnut in Philadelphia, and sold his first batch of what he called ‘Pine Brothers Glycerine Tablets.’ In an attempt to relieve his own sore throat, Mr. Pine, a former German confectionery maker, combined the soothing qualities of plant glycerin with the healing properties of gum acacia into one softish drop. By doing so, he discovered that he had created a product that could sooth and mitigate the mild discomfort of a sore throat. Add in some natural flavoring and sweetener and Pine Brothers Softish Throat Drops were born. “I have discovered something,” Pine wrote, “which will give quick throat relief to thousands afflicted as I was.” He added,”Perhaps I won’t make much money out of this. But I can make people happy, and that’s more important than money.” Mr. Pine was being unduly modest, as his “discovery” would become one of the most effective, most delicious and most unique throat lozenges in the world. Nor has the recipe changed appreciably since it was first introduced to the public over 150 years ago.