On October 2, 1965, during a football game between
the University of Florida Gators and the Louisiana
State University Tigers, UF players test a newly
concocted sports drink to help them regain the
essential chemicals their bodies lose from profuse
sweating.

Developed in their own school’s science labs, the
drink is designed to fight dehydration, rebalance
their bodies’ electrolytes and restore blood sugar,
potassium and body salts so they can continue to
perform at a high level through their games.

The Gators go on to win the match, after the heavily
favored Tigers wilt in Florida’s muggy, 102-degree
heat.

The drink, nicknamed "Gatorade," eventually became
a mass-market phenomenon and made its inventors
wealthy.

James Robert Cade (1927 – 2007)

Cade was a physician, university professor,
research scientist and inventor.

"American Pie" singer Don McLean — who is still performing
and touring — was born on this day in history, Oct. 2, 1945,
in New Rochelle, New York.

He is forever associated with his iconic hit "American Pie" —
named one of the Top 5 Songs of the 20th Century in a poll
by the Recording Industry Association of America and the
National Endowment for the Arts.