Mark The Day

On July 2, 1865, William Booth and his wife, Catherine Booth, founded the Christian Mission in London's East End. Their goal was to bring practical help and Christian teaching to people struggling with poverty and hardship. Inspired by military organization, Booth introduced ranks such as officers and recruits, believing discipline and structure would strengthen the movement. Women were given leadership roles alongside men, an uncommon practice for the time.

The Christian Mission quickly expanded its work into some of London's poorest communities, opening soup kitchens and offering both physical assistance and spiritual support. Its energetic public preaching and unusual methods were not welcomed by everyone, and members frequently faced hostility, fines, and even imprisonment as authorities attempted to curb their activities.

In 1878, the organization adopted the name the The Salvation Army, and two years later established its first branch in the United States. During the Great Depression and both World Wars, the organization became widely respected for providing food, shelter, and support to civilians and military personnel alike. Today, the Salvation Army operates in more than 130 countries, delivering disaster relief, rehabilitation programs, community services, hospitals, thrift stores, and other charitable initiatives, supported through donations and the proceeds of its retail operations.

On September 13, 1963, Texas entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash opened a small cosmetics business in Dallas using $5,000 of her savings and working alongside her 20-year-old son, Richard Rogers. The company grew into Mary Kay Inc., an international direct-selling operation with billions of dollars in annual sales and an enormous network of independent sales representatives. Its unmistakable rewards program became nearly as famous as its cosmetics, with successful sellers earning everything from jewelry and fur coats to the company's celebrated pink Cadillacs.

Ash entered business for herself after years of frustration with the limited opportunities available to women in corporate sales. She had watched male colleagues receive promotions and higher salaries despite her own success, convincing her that women needed a workplace in which their achievements determined how far they could advance. Mary Kay was built around that idea, and Ash became known for enthusiastically mentoring the women in her sales organization and encouraging them to pursue financial independence and leadership positions.

With her carefully cultivated pink image, energetic motivational speeches, and considerable flair for promotion, Ash became one of America's best-known business figures. Even her personal life occasionally reflected the company's signature color, including a Dallas mansion featuring an enormous pink marble bathtub. Behind the spectacle, however, was a formidable entrepreneur who transformed a modest investment into a global cosmetics company. Ash remained closely associated with the business until her death in 2001 at the age of 83.

On September 13, 1990, television audiences were introduced to the distinctive dun-dun of Law & Order when the crime drama premiered on NBC. Created by Dick Wolf and set in New York City, the series divided most episodes into two parts: detectives investigated a crime during the first half, while prosecutors attempted to make the case in court during the second. Stories frequently drew inspiration from contemporary headlines, helping establish a formula that would remain remarkably durable for decades.

The series became known for an evolving ensemble cast rather than depending upon a single star. Over the years, memorable characters included Jerry Orbach's Detective Lennie Briscoe, S. Epatha Merkerson's Lt. Anita Van Buren, Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy, Chris Noth's Detective Mike Logan, Benjamin Bratt's Detective Rey Curtis, and Jesse L. Martin's Detective Ed Green. Numerous well-known performers also appeared as guest stars, while the changing cast helped the program remain fresh without abandoning its familiar police-investigation-and-courtroom structure.

Law & Order originally concluded in 2010 after 20 seasons, but that proved to be more of an extended recess than a final adjournment: NBC revived the series in 2022. Its success also produced a substantial television franchise, most notably Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which premiered in 1999, followed by series including Criminal Intent and Trial by Jury. What began as another new network crime drama in September 1990 ultimately developed into one of television's most enduring franchises—and ensured that generations of viewers would immediately recognize two ominous musical notes as a sign that somebody was about to have a very bad day.

On September 13, 2004, The Oprah Winfrey Show produced one of the most memorable giveaways in television history when Oprah Winfrey revealed that all 276 members of her studio audience would receive a new Pontiac G6. Audience members had been selected in part because they needed reliable transportation, and the announcement triggered exactly the sort of pandemonium television producers dream about: screaming, crying, jumping, and general disbelief. Winfrey's excited declaration that everybody was getting a car quickly became one of the most recognizable moments of her long-running program.

There was considerably more business behind the surprise than viewers might have realized. Pontiac supplied the cars as part of a promotional campaign for the new G6, giving the manufacturer an extraordinary amount of national attention. Although Pontiac covered certain costs associated with the giveaway, recipients discovered that accepting a vehicle valued at roughly $28,500 could create a substantial income-tax liability. For many, the bill amounted to several thousand dollars, prompting some winners to finance the taxes or exchange their new vehicle for something less expensive. A free car, it turned out, could still arrive with paperwork capable of wiping the smile off your accountant's face.

The enormous publicity surrounding the event helped make extravagant audience giveaways part of the show's mythology. A later episode rewarded an audience of teachers with thousands of dollars' worth of electronics, appliances, luggage, and other merchandise, along with cash intended to help offset the resulting taxes. The giveaways attracted enormous attention and became closely associated with Winfrey's television persona. The Oprah Winfrey Show, which had begun nationally in 1986, ultimately concluded in May 2011 after 25 seasons in national syndication.

On September 13, 1996, rapper and actor Tupac Shakur died from injuries suffered in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas six days earlier. The 25-year-old had already become one of hip-hop's most prominent and controversial performers, and his death intensified the attention surrounding the bitter rivalries then associated with the rap industry. His influence continued long after his death through posthumous recordings, films, documentaries, and generations of artists who regarded him as one of hip-hop's defining voices.

Shakur had been in Las Vegas on September 7 to attend the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM Grand. After the fight, Shakur, Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight, and others became involved in an altercation with Orlando Anderson, a member of the South Side Compton Crips. Later that evening, Shakur was riding with Knight near the Las Vegas Strip when a Cadillac pulled alongside their BMW and gunfire erupted. Shakur was struck several times, while Knight was also wounded but survived. Shakur underwent emergency treatment but died at University Medical Center on September 13.

For nearly three decades, no one was convicted in Shakur's killing, allowing speculation surrounding the case to become almost as famous as the crime itself. That changed after investigators focused on Duane "Keffe D" Davis, who had repeatedly discussed his knowledge of and involvement in the shooting, including in his 2019 memoir. Davis was arrested in 2023 and accused of orchestrating the attack in retaliation for the earlier assault on his nephew, Orlando Anderson. On August 31, 2026, a Las Vegas jury found Davis guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, delivering the first conviction in a case that had remained one of the most notorious unsolved killings in music history.

On September 14, 1814, lawyer Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the poem that eventually became the lyrics of the United States national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” During the War of 1812, British forces had captured Washington, D.C., and burned several major public buildings before turning their attention toward Baltimore. Key became involved after his friend, physician William Beanes, was taken prisoner by the British. He helped negotiate Beanes' release, but because the Americans had learned details of the planned attack, they were required to remain with the British fleet until the assault on Baltimore was completed.

From aboard a vessel in the Patapsco River, Key watched as British ships bombarded Fort McHenry through the night of September 13 and into the morning of September 14. When daylight came, the enormous American flag flying above the fort was still visible, showing that the defenders had held their position and the British attack had failed. Moved by the sight, Key began writing verses that became a four-stanza poem titled “Defence of Fort M'Henry.” It was soon published and sung to the melody of “To Anacreon in Heaven,” a British song composed by John Stafford Smith. Over time, Key's poem became better known by the title of its opening imagery, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Key, born August 1, 1779, in Maryland, was a prominent lawyer who later served as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. His song became increasingly associated with patriotic and official occasions, and President Woodrow Wilson directed that it be played at appropriate military and naval ceremonies in 1916. Congress formally designated “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem, with President Herbert Hoover signing the measure into law on March 3, 1931. Key did not live to see what became of his composition; he died on January 11, 1843, decades before his hastily written verses became the official musical symbol of the United States.

On September 14, 1964, Kellogg's introduced the toaster pastry that would become Pop-Tarts, although the company was not the first to announce the idea. Rival Post had already publicized plans for a shelf-stable, fruit-filled pastry called Country Squares but revealed the concept before the product was ready for widespread sale. Kellogg's recognized the opportunity and moved quickly, turning to William “Bill” Post, then working at the Hekman Biscuit Company in Michigan, to help develop a pastry that could survive both the supermarket shelf and a trip through the family toaster. Post and his team experimented with dough, fillings and production methods, with his children reportedly serving as enthusiastic taste testers along the way.

Kellogg's initially considered calling its creation Fruit Scones before settling on the far more memorable Pop-Tarts, a name that played nicely with the popularity of Pop Art during the 1960s. The original unfrosted pastries appeared in four flavors—strawberry, blueberry, brown sugar cinnamon and apple currant—and the early test market was enormously successful. Demand quickly outran supply, forcing Kellogg's to publish advertisements apologizing to customers because it had run out. Frosting arrived a few years later after the company developed a version capable of surviving toaster temperatures without melting into a sugary disaster, followed by sprinkles, additional flavors and Milton the Toaster, an animated mascot who helped promote the increasingly popular breakfast treat.

What began as a hurried response to a competitor became one of Kellogg's most recognizable products. William Post is frequently described as the inventor of Pop-Tarts, although he always emphasized that their creation was a team effort, and Kellogg's has also credited company executive William “Doc” Thompson and the people involved in developing the product. Over the following decades, Pop-Tarts expanded far beyond those original four flavors and became as much a snack as a breakfast food. Billions are now sold annually—a remarkable outcome for something that began with a few people looking at two pieces of dough with filling between them and essentially asking, “Do you reckon we can put this in a toaster?”

On September 14, 1974, Eric Clapton reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Shot the Sheriff,” a song written and recorded the previous year by Bob Marley and the Wailers for their album Burnin'. It became the only No. 1 single of Clapton's career in the United States, but the man singing it had been surprisingly uncomfortable about releasing it. Clapton admired Marley's original and understood reggae well enough to worry that his own recording didn't capture what made the music special. He later recalled thinking that his version shouldn't even be included on his album 461 Ocean Boulevard, much less released as a single, because he felt it wasn't fair to Marley and that his interpretation had given the song too much of a white rock feel. His American bandmates were considerably more enthusiastic, and eventually Clapton allowed himself to be persuaded.

His concern became even more understandable when the record took off. Marley's version had already been released, but Clapton's recording suddenly carried the song onto mainstream American radio and all the way to the top of the chart. Clapton subsequently spoke with Marley and was relieved to discover that the songwriter appeared pleased with what he had done. Marley later recalled that Clapton had asked him about the meaning of the song, while Clapton remembered struggling to understand parts of Marley's explanation. Whatever uncertainty remained about the interpretation, there seemed to be no lasting uncertainty about Marley's acceptance of the cover.

The irony was that the recording Clapton worried might unfairly overshadow Bob Marley ultimately helped bring enormous attention to him. Island Records founder Chris Blackwell later described Clapton's cover as a major breakthrough for Marley, because one of rock's biggest stars had effectively pointed his enormous audience toward the Jamaican songwriter whose work he admired. The official Bob Marley history similarly credits Clapton's recording with significantly increasing Marley's international profile. So while September 14, 1974, marks Eric Clapton reaching No. 1, the longer story belongs to both musicians: Clapton received the biggest American single of his career from a Bob Marley song, while millions of listeners who heard Clapton's version were given a reason to discover the man who had written it in the first place.

On September 14, 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco died at the age of 52, one day after suffering serious injuries when the car she was driving left a steep mountain road above Monaco. Her youngest daughter, Princess Stéphanie, was traveling with her and survived. Before becoming European royalty, Princess Grace had been Grace Kelly of Philadelphia, one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars of the 1950s. In a remarkably brief film career, she became known for an elegant screen presence that made her particularly memorable in Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief. She also starred opposite Gary Cooper in High Noon and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance alongside Bing Crosby in The Country Girl.

Born in Philadelphia on November 12, 1929, Kelly studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and supported herself through modeling and television work while pursuing stage roles. After appearing on Broadway and making her way into motion pictures, her rise was extraordinarily rapid. By the middle of the 1950s she was one of Hollywood's leading actresses, working with stars including James Stewart, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra. Yet at the height of that success, Kelly walked away from Hollywood. After meeting Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1955, she married him in an elaborate ceremony the following April and became Princess Grace. Her final feature film, the musical High Society, was released in 1956, bringing an acting career of only a few years to a close.

Princess Grace and Prince Rainier had three children—Caroline, Albert and Stéphanie—and she spent the remainder of her life carrying out royal and charitable duties in Monaco. On September 13, 1982, while driving home with Stéphanie, Grace lost control of her Rover on the winding road near Monaco and the vehicle plunged down a steep slope. Early reports attributed the crash to a stroke suffered while she was driving, although the precise circumstances surrounding the accident have remained the subject of discussion. Stéphanie escaped with injuries, but Grace suffered devastating trauma and died the following day. Her death prompted mourning far beyond the tiny principality she had made her home, closing an extraordinary life that had taken her from Philadelphia to Broadway, from Hollywood stardom and an Academy Award to becoming one of the world's most recognizable princesses.

On September 14, 1994, Major League Baseball officially canceled the remainder of its season, including the postseason and World Series, after a players' strike that had begun on August 12 showed no sign of ending. It was an extraordinary moment for America's pastime: for the first time since 1904, there would be no World Series, and for the first time since the championship series began in 1903, its cancellation resulted from a labor dispute. At the center of the conflict were long-running disagreements between team owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association over salaries, revenue sharing, free agency and the owners' desire for a salary cap. Acting commissioner Bud Selig finally called off the remainder of the season with hundreds of regular-season games already lost.

The cancellation was particularly painful because the 1994 season had been producing some remarkable baseball. The Montreal Expos owned the best record in the majors at 74–40 and appeared capable of making the deepest postseason run in franchise history, while the New York Yankees led the American League East at 70–43. Individual achievements disappeared with the schedule as well. San Francisco's Matt Williams had already hit 43 home runs and Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. had 40, giving both a chance to challenge Roger Maris' then-record of 61 in a season. Perhaps the most tantalizing unfinished story belonged to San Diego Padres great Tony Gwynn, who was batting .394 when play stopped and pursuing something no major leaguer had accomplished since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.

The dispute continued through the winter and into the following spring, with replacement players even appearing during 1995 spring training before a federal court injunction helped bring the strike to an end on April 2. Regular major-league players returned and the 1995 season eventually began, but the damage was considerable. Attendance suffered, fans expressed anger at both players and owners, and many people within baseball later described the canceled World Series as a lasting scar on the sport. There was no champion, no postseason heroics and no opportunity to discover whether Montreal could complete its remarkable season, whether Gwynn could reach .400, or whether Williams or Griffey could catch Maris. The 1994 season simply stopped—and baseball was left forever wondering how one of its most promising years might have ended.