This Day in Pop Culture for September 14

1978: When Mork Met Mindy

“My Favorite Orkan” was an episode of Happy Days when an unknown Robin Williams played Mork from the planet Ork who attempted to take Richie Cunningham back to his planet as an Earth specimen. By the end of the episode, Fonzie saved the day. It was a goofy episode, but Williams turned out to be a hit. Garry Marshall quickly worked up a script for a new show to feature this alien.

For the new show, Mork was sent to Earth to observe human behavior. He landed in Boulder, Colorado where he met Mindy McConnell (Pam Dawber). At first, she was taken back by Mork’s strange behavior, but she quickly warmed up to him and allowed him to move into her attic. Every episode featured wacky situations and lots of space for Williams to work on his improv skills.

During its first season, Mork & Mindy was very popular ranking as high as #3. Soon kids everywhere were greeting each other saying “Na-nu, na-nu” and wearing rainbow-striped suspenders. The show was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards (Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series). However, ratings for the show began to drop during season 2 and by the end of season 4, it fell down as far as #60 and the show was cancelled. By then though, Robin Williams became a household name and was soon booked for movies.

1814: The Star-Spangled Banner

In 1814, America was at war with Britain. Baltimore was the nation’s third-largest city and it was there that British warships planned an attack in hopes of neutralizing Fort McHenry which protected the city’s harbor entrance.

It was about 6:30 a.m. on September 13 when the attacks of 2,000 shells and 800 rockets began being fired at the fortress. The attacks lasted for 24 hours. Above the scene flew a 42-foot by 30-foot American flag which caught the attention of Francis Scott Key who witnessed the attack from a ship in the harbor. This event gave him the inspiration to write the poem, “Defence of Fort M’Henry” on this day in 1814.

Later, the words were set to the song, “The Anacreontic Song” which was written by John Stafford Smith in 1776. The song had been used as a club anthem of the Anacreontic Society, an amateur men’s music club in London. The new combo became known as “The Star-Spangled Banner” and in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson named the song the national anthem of all of the U.S. armed forces. Then in 1931, as an Act of Congress, the song became America’s national anthem. (Image: Pixabay)

1965: The Second-Worst TV Show Airs

In 2002, TV Guide stated that My Mother the Car, which debuted for the first time on this day in 1965, was the second-worst TV series to have been produced just behind The Jerry Springer Show. The program starred Jerry Van Dyke who bought a run-down 1928 Porter touring car only to find out that it was a reincarnation of his dead mother who only speaks to him. Anne Southern spoke for voice of the car. Though it was panned by critics and viewers alike, NBC aired all 30 episodes. The show was co-created by Allan Burns and Chris Hayward who had better success with later series including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda (Burns) and Barney Miller (Hayward). (Image: TVDB)

1939: The First Helicopter is Flown

It was on this day in 1939 that the VS-300, the world’s first helicopter took to the skies in Stratford, Connecticut. It was designed and piloted by Igor Sikorsky. The first flight lasted just a few seconds, but it was a start. The first free flight took place half a year later. With little more than just an outline of a flying machine and three-blade rotor with a length of 28 feet, it was a sight to see. (Image: Wikimedia)