I love Dr. Pepper but I can't drink it any more b/c I am on a diet!
Oh no! I used to drink Dr Pepper too. A high school boyfriend converted me. 
It was first created in 1880 by a pharmacist named Charles Alderton in Waco, tx and first served in 1885.  My sister just got me started on a seltzer water that is flavored like Dr. Pepper though. it is sold by Kroger.
So is there a real Dr Pepper, or is it just a name?
No it is just a flavor of "The doctor" LOL! no sugar or carbs.  It actually taste somewhat like dr. pepper though.  I reccommend it. it is better for you than diet dr. pepper
Good to know. May pick some up for myself. Is it available anywhere other than Kroger?
Dr. Pepper" was first used commercially in 1885. It was introduced nationally in the United States at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition as a new kind of soda pop, made with 23 flavors. Its introduction in 1885 preceded the introduction of Coca-Cola by one year.
It was formulated by Brooklyn-born pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas. To test his new drink, he first offered it to store owner Wade Morrison, who also found it to his liking. Patrons
Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904, and is now also sold in Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Australia, as well as New Zealand and South Africa as an imported good. Variants include Diet Dr Pepper and, beginning in the 2000s, a line of additional flavors.
History.
The name "