People drank soda since it was invented but after the switch from real sugar to corn syrup, bad things seemed to happen.
Sugar tasted better too.
Funny, I prefer the taste of corn syrup (100% glucose) to sugar (sucrose which is metabolized to 50% glucose and 50% fructose). You might be confused and instead mean "high-fructose corn syrup" which is normal corn syrup catalyzed to about 55% fructose and 42% glucose. This ratio, incidentally, is the same as natural honey. The only real difference between natural honey and synthetic high fructose corn syrup is the traces of pollen in the honey.
Oddly, Mexico does not allow HFCS to be used in soft drinks, raw sugar only. Big Lots sells some Mexican soft drinks, including imported Coca-Cola! You can get that old-fashioned taste for about a dollar a bottle (yes they are still in the old green glass Coke bottles!)...............