On September 16, 1620, the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth,
England, bound for the Americas with 102 passengers. The
ship was headed for Virginia, where the colonists—half
religious dissenters and half entrepreneurs—had been
authorized to settle by the British crown.

However, stormy weather and navigational errors forced the
Mayflower off course, and on November 21 the “Pilgrims”
reached Massachusetts, where they founded the first
permanent European settlement in New England in late
December.

Thirty-five of the Pilgrims were members of the radical English
Separatist Church, who traveled to America to escape the
jurisdiction of the Church of England, which they found
corrupt.        
        

    
    
    
    
   
On September 15, 1962, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’
"Sherry" hits the top of the pop music charts. It was the
start of a remarkable run of hits.

"Sherry" was written by Bob Gaudio who said the song took
about 15 minutes to write and was originally titled "Jackie
Baby” (in honor of then-First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy).

Gaudio stated the song was inspired by the 1961 Bruce
Channel hit …"Hey! Baby."

At the studio, the name was changed to "Terri Baby", and
eventually to "Sherry", the name of the daughter of Gaudio’s
best friend, New York DJ Jack Spector.

Jack Spector
(September 15, 1928 – March 8, 1994)

Singer Frankie Valli is 91 now.

On September 14, 1964, the Kellogg’s Company began selling
the Pop-Tart. The innovative portable-breakfast-treat-turned-
anytime-snack would go on to sell billions annually and help
redefine the breakfast food market.

It all started when one of Kellogg’s biggest competitors, Post
Consumer Brands, trumpeted to the press that it had created
an innovative new breakfast item: a shelf-stable, fruit-filled,
handheld toaster pastry called “Country Squares.”

It sounded like the ultimate grab-and-go convenience food.
Anticipation ran high. Problem was, their pastry wasn’t quite
ready for market.

While Post dragged its feet on the actual product release,
Kellogg’s—having heard the announcement, rushed to push
out its own version.

On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key penned a poem which
was later set to music and in 1931 became America’s national
anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The poem, originally titled “The Defence of Fort M’Henry,” was
written after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded
by the British during the War of 1812.

Key was inspired by the sight of a lone U.S. flag still flying over
Fort McHenry at daybreak, as reflected in the now-famous words
of the “Star-Spangled Banner”: “And the rocket’s red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag
was still there.”

Francis Scott Key (1779 – 1843)

            
TIM MAGUIRE