Alphabetical Reorder

Up until the early 1920's, N came before M in the alphabet. But the composer of the "Alphabet Song," which became a huge hit in 1922, accidentally reversed the letters. Educators complained loudly. But with small children singing the catchy bridge ("H, I, J, K, LMNOP"), the previous ordering was soon forgotten. In 1925, the Harry Snelling Orchestra released a competing song, called "Pardon Me, It's LNMOP." But the melody was so uninspiring that the record remained largely unheard, and unheard of.

By 1927, libraries all over the United States and Great Britain were forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars re-ordering their catalog card files.