[4] The New York Times notes that three birthdates have been put forward by different sources: The Nation, a Thai newspaper, reported that he was 90, while several other news media outlets in Thailand said he was 88.

BBC News states, "Mr Chaleo was born of poor Chinese immigrant parents in the northern province of Phichit, reportedly in 1932, local media say.

[6][7] The Telegraph and The Independent say he was born in 1923 to a poor Thai Chinese family that raised ducks and traded fruit in Phichit.

The bulls are not cattle, but wild gaur, a bovine species native to Southeast Asia and called krathing (กระทิง) in Thai.

Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian salesman for a German company, found the drink cured his jet lag,[1][8] and entered into partnership with Chaleo in 1984.