On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.
Happy birthday to Rick Aguilera* and other former Cubs.
Today in baseball history:
- 1897 – At the age of 38, Charles Ebbets, who “has handled every dollar” entering the Brooklyn Dodgers club’s treasury for the past 15 years, gains a controlling 80 percent interest in the team. (1,2)
- 1918 – Kid Gleason replaces Pants Rowland as Chicago White Sox manager following the team’s skid to fifth place. Gleason will win the American League pennant as a rookie skipper, but it will be tarnished by the improprieties of eight members of the so-called “Black Sox” in the 1919 World Series. (1,2)
- 1972 – Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Roberto Clemente dies in the crash of a four-engine plane over the Atlantic Ocean. The 38-year-old Clemente was supervising the delivery of relief supplies to the earthquake victims of Managua, Nicaragua. The cargo plane, a DC-7 that departed from San Juan Airport in Puerto Rico, crashes shortly after takeoff. In 18 major league seasons, Clemente batted .317, won the 1966 MVP Award, and led the Pirates to World Championships in 1960 and 1971. Shortly after his death, the Hall of Fame‘s Board of Directors votes to waive the usual five-year waiting period for Clemente, paving the way for his election to Cooperstown in 1973. (1,2)
- 1979 – The Basic Agreement between players and owners expires, precipitating more than 19 months of bitter negotiations, that will culminate in the 1981 player strike. (1,2)
- 1984 – Despite six weeks of negotiations, the Basic Agreement between the players and owners that was reached after the 1981 strike expires. The players are now seeking increased contributions to their pension plan from the clubs’ additional television revenues, while the owners are hoping to slow the rapid growth of player salaries. (1,2)
- 1993 – Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement runs out with no new agreement yet signed. (2)
- 2009 – The Cubs sign CF Marlon Byrd to a three-year contract worth $15 million. (2)
- 2024 – The annual NHL Winter Classic takes place on New Year’s Eve this year and comes to Wrigley Field for the second time. Over 40,000 fans witness the St. Louis Blues easily dispose of the hometown Chicago Blackhawks, who have the worst record in the league this season, by a 6-2 score. (2)
Cubs Birthdays: King Kelly HOF, Fred Beebe, Loyd Christopher, Rick Aguilera*, Steve Engel.
Today in History:
- 192 – Roman Emperor Commodus survives poisoning attempt by his mistress only to be strangled in the bath in assassination plot.
- 1600 – British East India Company receives its royal charter from Elizabeth I to explore trade routes in the East Indies.
- 1703 – Genroku earthquake off the coast of Japan near Edo (modern-day Tokyo) kills thousands and triggers a large tsunami that kills thousands more.
- 1744 – English astronomer James Bradley announces the discovery of Earth’s nutation, or wobble.
- 1857 – Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as new capital of Canada.
- 1862 Union ironclad ship “Monitor” sank off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
- 1904 – First New Year’s Eve celebration is held in Times Square, New York City.
- 1988 – A heavy, dense fog rolls over Soldier Field in Chicago during the second quarter of the Bears vs. Eagles NFC Divisional Playoff game, cutting visibility to 15 to 20 yards in a game known as “The Fog Bowl” (Bears win 20-12).
Common sources:
- (1) — Today in Baseball History.
- (2) — Baseball Reference.
- (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
- (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
- (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
- (6) — Wikipedia.
- (7) — The British Museum
- (8) — For world history.
*pictured.
Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.
