[Lee Stewart]

One of America’s most ubiquitous breakfast cereals first appeared on grocery shelves in 1941 not as Cheerios, but “Cheerioats.” General Mills aimed to highlight the cereal’s main ingredient, oats, at a time when most competitors were still using corn. But that tactic didn’t fly with rival Quaker Oats, which objected to the use of the term “oats” in the new cereal’s name. General Mills backed down and switched to “Cheerios” instead.