The leaves are nearly off the trees, the wind is getting sharper, and in the baseball world, that means one thing: the World Series is coming up. This year's opponents, the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians, are each attempting to break long, long championship droughts--though the Indians appeared in the Series in 1997, they haven't won it since 1948, while the Cubs haven't appeared in a Series since 1945, and haven't won one since 1908.
1908!
That's one hundred and eight years ago. 108! Let's take a look at what the world looked like one hundred and eight years ago, the last time the Chicago Cubs won a World Series.
Women Couldn't Vote
Since we may be on the verge of electing the first woman President, this is worth pointing out--the last time the Cubs won a world series, the 19th Amendment hadn't even been ratified. The 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920, 12 years after the Cubs victory.
The Titanic Hadn't Sunk
The RMS Titanic, subject of history's most famous shipwreck and tragedy, had been laid down the month before the Series occurred. This momentous disaster hadn't even been dreamed of.
Farmers Were 30% of the Workforce
Now, they make up roughly 2%. In the one hundred and sixteen years since the Cubs won a World Series, the American workforce has shifted almost entirely to a manufacturing, service-based industry.
The Price of Bread Was $0.05
In 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of a loaf of bread is $2.00. That's forty times greater than it was in 1908, an increase of 3,900%.
The Model-T Was State-of-the-Art
Henry Ford's Model T, which would go on to revolutionize the automobile industry and is considered the first modern automobile, went into production the same month as the World Series. The last time the Cubs won a World Series, the affordable car didn't really exist, meaning that the majority of Americans still got around on horses.
The Ottoman Empire Was Still A World Power
This one's for all the history nerds: in 1908, there had been no world wars, the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires still existed, no one had any concept of the word Nazi, and the idea of a nation based on Communism hadn't even crossed most peoples' minds. The United States had only had 26 Presidents. For comparison's sake, we're about to elect our 45th.
People of Color Couldn't Play in the Major Leagues
Look at that picture? Notice anything missing? Unlike the modern, post-Jackie Robinson MLB, it's just a bunch of white dudes. The modern Cubs team (and every other team in every other sport in America) has a host of significant contributors who wouldn't have been allowed to play back in 1908.
The world is a wildly different place (changed mostly for the better) than it was when the Cubs last won a Series in 1908 . Heck, it's even a wildly different place from when they last appeared in one, in 1945. It's even different from when their opponents this year, the Cleveland Indians, last made an appearance in 1997. No matter which team wins, it will be a momentous, drought-breaking victory. However, given everything here, don't we think it's high time for the Cubs to win? They've never even had a victory parade involving cars.
