On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and various narratives to follow as they unfold over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along.

“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly.

Today in baseball history:

• 1911 – Clark Griffith is named manager of the Washington Senators, beginning a stand in the nation’s capital as manager, then owner, that will last until his death in 1955. (1,2)
• 1945 – Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to a contract with Montreal of the International League for 1946. Black pitcher John Wright also signs. (1,2,3)
• 1967 – The Chicago White Sox announce the team will play nine regular season games in Milwaukee during the 1968 season. Chicago will become the first American League team to play regular season games outside its own city since 1905. (1,2)
• 1984 – Willie Hernandez of the Detroit Tigers wins the 1984 American League Cy Young Award, edging fellow reliever Dan Quisenberry of the Kansas City Royals. Hernandez posted a 9-3 record with 32 saves and a 1.92 ERA. Hernandez becomes only the third reliever to win the award. In 1977, Sparky Lyle of the New York Yankees became the first relief pitcher to do so in the American League, and Mike Marshall had done so in the National League in 1974.(1,2)
• 2016 – The Cubs remain alive in the World Series with a 3-2 win over Cleveland in Game 5. The Indians score first, on a solo homer by Jose Ramirez off Jon Lester in the second but Chicago scores three against Trevor Bauer in the fourth. Aroldis Chapman* gets the final eight outs to record the save. (1)

Cubs Birthdays: Tom Nagle, Rudy Sommers, Charlie Deal, Kettle Wirts, Roy Joiner, John Burrows, Roe Skidmore. Also notable: Ed Delahanty HOF, Bill Terry HOF.

Today in History:

• 1270 – The Eighth Crusade and siege of Tunis ended by agreement between Charles I of Sicily (brother to King Louis IX of France, who had died months earlier) and the sultan of Tunis.
• 1470 – Wars of the Roses: Henry VI of England returns to the English throne after Earl of Warwick defeats Yorkists in battle.
• 1772 – Captain James Cook arrives with ship HMS Resolution in Cape Town, South Africa.
• 1873 – P. T. Barnum’s circus, “Greatest Show on Earth”, debuts (New York City).
• 1938 – A radio broadcast of H. G. Wells’ ”The War of the Worlds,” narrated by Orson Welles, allegedly causes a mass panic.
• 1952 – Clarence Birdseye sells first frozen peas.

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.
• For world history.

*pictured.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources if you have differences with a posted factoid. We are trying to set the record as straight as possible. But it isn’t brain surgery.

Also, the ‘history’ segment is highly edited for space and interest. Of course a great many other things happened on those days. We try to follow up on the interesting or unfamiliar ones.

Thanks for reading.