It is no exaggeration to say that millions of people know the song "I'd like to Teach the World to Sing" and fondly remember the Coca-Cola commercial that introduced it to the public. The "united chorus of the world" that expressed this wish for peace, love, and brotherhood remains one of the indelible images of American popular culture. Yet most people do not realize that it was almost killed or left for dead at several steps along the way, and that...