~Germany Schaeffer 1876–1919 (Orphans 1901-1902) He was born in a town that boasted nearly 25% German heritage–Chicago, Illinois–and his parents were fresh off the boat immigrants. So naturally, he got the nickname Germany. He began h...

~Norman Rockwell 1893–1978 (Cubs cover 1948) How bad were the Cubs in 1948? They finished in last place, 27 ½ games out of first place. Their hitting was atrocious (fewest home runs, fewest walks), their pitching staff was brutal (fewest shutouts...

~Februay 9, 1914 Wrigley Field (then known as Weeghman Park) was just a few months away from opening its doors for the first time when a boy was born to Chicago sportswriter Bill Bailey and his wife. Bailey’s real last name was Veeck, and he name...

This week during the last year the Cubs went to the World Series… World War II Rages On… *Feb. 5, 1945 TIME magazine. On the cover: Joseph Stalin (“Facts are stubborn things”) *Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister of the United...

How long ago was 1908? Cubs backup infielder Heinie Zimmerman celebrates his 21st birthday (Feb 9) this week. The youngster will have a big impact on the Cubs this year, but not in a good way. He will eventually become a great hitter (winning a batting...

~George Halas 1895–1983 (Cubs fan 1900-1983) Growing up in Chicago during the Cubs championship era (the first decade of last century), George Halas was a die-hard Cubs fan. When he was a boy, he and his friends used to hang around the playerR...

Where were the Cubs? February 6, 1911 The most famous Cubs fan in history was born on this day. His name was Ronald Reagan. Reagan didn’t just grow up a Chicago Cubs fan. He owes much of his success to the team. Following college graduation, Reag...

~Carl Reynolds 1903 (Cubs 1937-1939) He was a ten-year veteran of the big leagues when he joined the Cubs in 1937, and claimed a starting outfield spot on the 1938 pennant winners. But in the World Series he came up to bat thirteen times and only got o...

~Ernie Banks 1931 (Cubs 1953-1971) Ernie is not only a Hall of Famer, he’s the first African American player to ever play for the Chicago Cubs. The way he became a Cub is almost a fluke. At the end of the 1953 season, Gene Baker was called up to ...

~Davey Johnson 1943 (Cubs 1978) Davey Johnson had a very distinguished playing career before he became a manager. He was a four-time All-Star, three time Gold Glove second baseman, two-time World Series champ, and once hit 43 homers in a season, but by...