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 Remembered as a dizzy sitcom redhead with show business aspirations, Lucille Ball was, in fact, a show business powerhouse and television pioneer. What many people don't know is what Lucille did prior to becoming "Lucy" on her series "I Love Lucy" with her husband, Desi Arnaz. Following are some important dates in both Lucy's and Desi's lives. | |
| August 6, 1911 - | Lucille Desiree Ball is born in Jamestown, New York. |
| March 2, 1917 - | Desiderio (Desi) Alberto Arnaz y de Archa III is born in Santiago de Cuba to wealthy Cuban landowners. He emigrates to the United States at the age of 16. |
| 1930 - | Lucy becomes a Chesterfield cigarettes poster girl under the name "Diane Belmont." |
| 1933 - | Lucy signs a movie contract with Samuel Goldwin, who brings her to Hollywood to be one of the 20 original Goldwyn Girls. |
| 1933-40 - | Lucy plays bit parts in 43 films and becomes known as "Queen of the B Movies." |
| 1935 - | Lucy signs her first promotional agreement with Max Factor. She does so again in 1942. Of all the stars, Lucy had the longest association with the Max Factor company. |
| 1936 - | Desi signs up to work in Xavier Cugat's band in New York City. Six months later, he moves to Miami to lead a combo of his own. It is there he introduces the Conga Line to American audiences. |
| 1938 - | Lucy meets the Marx Brothers while working on the feature film "Room Service" and receives the first of her many instructive experiences with such legendary laugh-makers as Buster Keaton, Bert Lahr, Red Skelton and Bob Hope. From these masters of slapstick, Ball learns double takes, pratfalls and perfect timing, as well as her repertoire of goofy expressions. |
| 1940 - | Lucy meets Desi on the set of the musical "Too Many Girls" and immediately falls for the musician, six years her junior, playing the part of a football star hired to protect her. |
| Nov. 30, 1940 - | Lucy and Desi marry after a whirlwind courtship. |
| 1942-43 - | Lucy acts in the movies "The Big Street," with Henry Fonda and Agnes Moorehead, "Du Barry Was a Lady," with Red Skelton, and "Thousands Cheer," with Gene Kelly. |
| 1948 - | "My Favorite Husband," the radio show, premieres, and Lucy's true comedic genius appears. The show, which paves the way for "I Love Lucy," is a situation comedy about a housewife who is always getting into trouble. |
| 1950 - | Lucy and Desi come up with the idea for a TV series that they hoped would save their troubled marriage. However, television executives don't think the show will work with Desi being Cuban, so Lucy and Desi produce a pilot with their own savings of $5,000 under their own production company, Desilu Productions. Together, they pioneer the three-camera technique that is now the standard in filming TV sitcoms. |
| July 17, 1951 - | Lucie Arnaz, Lucy's and Desi's first child, is born. |
| Oct. 15, 1951 - | "I Love Lucy" premieres on CBS. |
| 1952 - | Lucy wins her first Emmy Award for Best Comedienne, and Lucy and Desi sign an $8 million deal with CBS for continuation of the series. |
| 1953 - | Little Ricky is born on "I Love Lucy," making front-page headlines. While the episode is being broadcast, Lucy gives birth to Desi, Jr. Forty-four million people watch the episode. |
| 1953 - | Lucy is steeped in scandal when she's called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, which revealed that she had registered to vote as a Communist in 1936 at the insistence of her grandfather. Lucy is absolved of Communist ties. |
| April 3, 1954 - | Lucy and her newborn son appear on the very first cover of TV Guide. Lucy appears on TV Guide's cover a record 35 times. |
| May 6, 1957 - | "I Love Lucy" ends its run after 179 episodes. At its peak, the series averaged an incredible 67.3 rating, meaning that on a typical Monday night, more than two-thirds of all homes with TV sets were tuned to "I Love Lucy." |
| May 4, 1960 - | Lucy and Desi divorce after 20 tumultuous years of marriage. |
| Dec. 2, 1986 - | Desi Arnaz dies of lung cancer. |
| April 26, 1989 - | Lucille Ball dies following heart surgery. |
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