1911: Lucille Desiree Ball born Aug. 6 in Jamestown, N.Y.

1917: Desiderio (Desi) Alberto Arnaz y de Archa III born March 2 in Santiago, Cuba.

1926: Lucy attends a New York drama school.

1930: Returns to New York and becomes the Chesterfield cigarettes poster girl.

1933: Signs movie contract with Samuel Goldwyn and moves to Hollywood.

1940: Meets Desi Arnaz on the set of Too Many Girls; they marry on Nov. 30.

1942-43: Stars in Damon Runyon's The Big Street with Henry Fonda, Du Barry Was A Lady with Red Skelton and Thousands Cheer with Gene Kelly.

1948: Debut of My Favorite Husband, a three-year CBS radio comedy with Richard Denning.

1949: Teams with Bob Hope in Sorrowful Jones, and again in 1950 in Fancy Pants.

1951: I Love Lucy premieres on CBS on Oct. 15, three months after birth of Lucie Arnaz.

1953: "Little Ricky" born on I Love Lucy on Jan. 19, same day actress gives birth to Desi Jr.

1957: I Love Lucy ends after 179 episodes, to be followed that fall by one-hour shows called The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (1957-60).

1960: Lucy and Desi divorce after their series ends.

1961: Lucy marries producer Gary Morton.

1962: The Lucy Show (later called Here's Lucy) debuts with Lucy and Vivian Vance; Lucy buys out Desi and becomes Desilu Productions president.

1967: Sells Desilu to Gulf & Western (Paramount TV).

1968: Teams again with Henry Fonda for another film, Yours, Mine and Ours.

1974: CBS cancels Here's Lucy; Lucy stars in film version of Mame.

1979: Longtime TV partner Vivian Vance dies.

1985: Returns to CBS playing a bag lady in a movie, Stone Pillow.

1986: ABC cancels her sitcom comeback, Life with Lucy, after eight weeks; Desi dies of lung cancer on Dec. 2.

1989: Lucille Ball dies following heart surgery on April 26.