6. The Pumpkin Spice Latte was invented by a Stanford basketball player

You can thank Peter Dukes for this seasonal sensation. The man first arrived at Starbucks in 2001 after studying economics at Stanford -- where he was also on the basketball team -- and earning his MBA. Two years into the job, he was tasked with coming up with a new branded espresso drink for the fall. Despite some early push-back, Dukes was convinced a pumpkin pie-inspired latte was the way to go, and history proved him right. For his troubles, he even got space on a mural near Starbucks HQ, right next to a haloed PSL cup and terrifyingly large pumpkin.