Timeline A timeline for the history of coupons:
1888 – Asa Candler used paper tickets for free glasses of Coke to help market his new soda
1909 – C.W. Post used 1 cent coupons to start marketing Grape Nuts breakfast
1930 – Coupon usage grows dramatically during the great depression
1940 – Big chain grocery stores begin to use coupons to attract consumers away from purchasing at local markets
1957 – Nielsen Coupon Clearing House was created to be devoted entirely to coupon redemption
1965 – Half of all the families in the United States begin cutting coupons
1990 – The invention of the internet leads to the downloaded printable coupon and online coupons
1992 – The last year coupon usage is on the rise for the next 17 years
2002 – Americans saved $3.8 billion shopping with coupons
2009 – The U.S. government uses coupons to promote converter box sales for the digital television transition
