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 Cliff Floyd* and other former Cubs.

Today in baseball history:

• 1888 – Columbus is admitted to the American Association to replace Cleveland, which is moving to the National League. (2)

• 1957 – The American League purchases a $1.8 million group accident policy to help clubs buy new players in case of a major disaster. (2)

• 1957 – The Cubs send veteran Bob Rush and two players to the Braves for C Sammy Taylor and P Taylor Phillips. (2)

• 1958 – The Phillies, who had made plans to broadcast into New York because of the sudden absence of NL teams in that city, drop any plans for 1959 broadcasts to New York City after the Yankees threaten to broadcast into Philadelphia. (1)

• 1969 – Chub Feeney succeeds Warren Giles as president of the National League. He is elected for a four-year term, beginning January 1, 1970. (2)

• 1973 – Ron Santo becomes the first player to invoke the new 10 and 5 rule. The Cubs want to trade Santo to the Angels for two pitchers, but he vetoes the deal. (2)

• 1988 – The Cubs and Rangers complete a nine-player swap, with Chicago giving up OF Rafael Palmeiro, P Jamie Moyer and P Drew Hall in exchange for IF Curtis Wilkerson and pitchers Mitch Williams, Paul Kilgus, and Steve Wilson, and a pair of minor leaguers to be named. (2)

• 1996 – The new collective bargaining agreement is unanimously approved by the Players’ association executive committee, clearing the path for interleague play and guaranteeing no work stoppages until 2001. (1,2)

• 2011 – Ron Santo, former Chicago Cubs third baseman in the 1960s, who died last year, is the lone player elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. He receives 15 of 16 votes from members of the “Golden Era” Committee. (2)

Cubs Birthdays: Patsy Tebeau, Dick Cogan, Gus Mancuso, Bobby Mattick, Mike Mahoney, Cliff Floyd*, Trevor Megill, Hayden Wesneski.

Today in History:

• 771 – Charlemagne becomes the sole King of the Franks after the death of his brother Carloman.

• 1456 – Earthquake strikes Naples, killing an estimated 35,000 people.

• 1804 – Thomas Jefferson re-elected US President, and George Clinton elected Vice-President.

• 1872 – The ship Mary Celeste is discovered mysteriously abandoned by her crew in the Atlantic Ocean.

• 1933 – Prohibition ends in the US at 5:32 p.m. EST when the 21st Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment.

• 1945 – Flight 19, the “Lost Squadron” of five torpedo bombers and 14 airmen, disappears east of Florida in the supposed Bermuda Triangle.

• 1969 – Four-node ARPANET network is established between the University of California, Los Angeles, Stanford Research Institute, U.C. Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah.

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, to help correct the record.