Ever since it’s debut, the 7-Eleven Big Gulp has been forever changing the American definition of “big.” The beverage even caused automakers to increase the standard cup-size in vehicles.

It’s easily the most recognizable plastic cup around, and it contributes to 7-Eleven’s distribution of 38 million gallons of soft drinks per year. It’s also one of the reasons why the average U.S. citizen will drink an estimated 44 gallons worth of soda in 2015. The Big Gulp even became somewhat notorious after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a law that would have banned oversized sodas. Many consider the invention of the Big Gulp to be the start of the super-sized phenomenon in our country.

Until 1955, the standard size of a bottle of Coca-Cola was 6.5 ounces. Then in 1976, a newly designed 32-ounce cup was tested. Dennis Potts, the merchandise manager for 7-Eleven in Southern California, was one of the first vendors to receive the cups. He sent them off to one of his Orange County stores despite thinking that they were “too damn big.” To Pott’s surprise they were an instant success, with 500 cups selling out in under a week.

Realizing the cups potential, it didn’t take long for 7-Eleven to begin putting them in all of their stores. 7-Eleven commissioned the Sanford Advertising Agency to come up with the Big Gulp’s name along with the slogan “7-Eleven’s Big Gulp gives you another kind of freedom: Freedom of choice.” This tagline certainly doesn’t lie either. The store now offers a wide variety of plus-sized drinks. In 1986, 7-Eleven introduced the Super Big Gulp, 44 oz., followed by the Double Gulp, 64 oz. in 1989, the X-Treme Gulp in 2001, and the mother of them all was introduced in 2006. Named the Team Gulp, 7-Eleven’s largest option holds 128 oz., a gallon of soda.

Unsurprisingly, the Big Gulp continues to receive a large amount of blame in the ongoing debate of American obesity rates. Some people claim that 7-Eleven is the reason why U.S. citizens drink soda in such alarming quantities, while others say that people would be drinking this much soda even without the store’s super-sized containers.

Perhaps the Big Gulp is simply a reflection of a country with extreme overabundance. However, there is one thing that isn’t overabundant in our country — the stomach capacity of our citizens. On average, they can only hold about 30 ounces, two ounces shy of 7-Eleven’s standard drink.