5 Things We Didn't Have The Last Time The Cubs Were In The World Series

As we all know by now, it's been quite a long time since either the Chicago Cubs or the Cleveland Indians won the World Series. Chicago last won in 1908, a whopping 108 years ago, and Cleveland last won in 1948, only three years after World War II ended. Chicago hasn't even made a World Series appearance since 1945, when the infamous "Curse of the Billy Goat" began.

Needless to say, that's a long time. Let's take a look at a few things that weren't around the last time either team won the Series:

1.) The Interstate Highway System: Want to drive across country to catch an away game? Better leave now, because it's gonna take you a while. The interstate system didn't exist until 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the Federal Aid Highway Act. Before interstate highways, you had to take whatever local roads were available, and while that wasn't an issue in most well-developed cities, in rural areas it could be difficult to navigate. Today, the interstate system, combined with other forms of travel, makes it easy to head out on the road to follow your favorite team.

2.) Jet airliners: Don't feel like driving? Your options are to take a train between cities or catch a plane. Air travel consisted of solely propeller planes until jet airlines became common in the 60s. Direct flights were rare, meaning multiple layovers to travel long distances. The smaller aircraft were more susceptible to turbulence, flights were much more expensive than they are today when adjusted for inflation, and baggage claim was even more of a pain. But hey, most prop planes had more legroom for customers, so…at least there's that, right?

3.) Alaska and Hawaii: Yep. At the time, neither Alaska or Hawaii was a state yet. Both states were inducted into the Union in 1959, meaning the last time the Cubs or Indians won the Series, we were a 48-state Union. Hawaii had a minor-league baseball team, the Hawaii Islanders, from 1961 to 1987, when the team was eventually moved to Colorado. Alaska's only professional sports team is a minor-league hockey team, the Alaska Aces. Will either state ever get a pro baseball team? We'll just have to wait and see.

4.) Space Exploration: In the 1940s, the highest manmade items were the V-2 rockets used during World War II. True space exploration didn't begin until the 50s when the USSR launched the first satellite, Sputnik. The space race began from there, culminating with the first moon landing on July 20, 1969. Nowadays, astronauts of all nationalities are able to stay up to date with the World Series while orbiting the Earth at 17,150 miles per hour aboard the International Space Station!

5.) Computers/The Internet: Ok sure, maybe this seems like an obvious one, but can you imagine keeping up with all the World Series stats without using a computer or the internet? Somehow, early baseball statisticians were able to do just that, keeping track of tons of statistics without modern technologies and data storage. While computers have enabled us to track dozens of specific categories (seriously, look at them all), it's still incredibly impressive what people were able to keep track of at the time.

There are plenty of other things that weren't around the last time either team won the World Series. In fact, the Cubs' win at home on Oct. 30 was the first time the Cubs had won a World Series game at Wrigley Field since the end of World War II. Just let that sink in.

TJM is split on the Series, with fans of each team in the office. One thing's for sure though, we're loving this Series so far, and it's been some great baseball. Regardless of which team wins, we’re excited to watch!