Baseball is an integral part of American popular culture. Lavishly illustrated and colorfully designed throughout, THE TIMELINE HISTORY OF BASEBALL presents hundreds of fascinating details about the development of baseball in a fun, easy-to-use format. This unique book brings together a comprehensive history of the sport along with a separate pullout timeline that offers an at-a-glance view of baseball from 1601 to 2009. Did you know that the spit ball was outlawed in 1920, but pitchers who already threw it were permitted to continue using it until they retired? This book is filled with fun and fascinating facts about the game and all of its organized leagues throughout history, including the major and minor leagues, negro leagues, women’s leagues, little league and leagues around the world. This engaging compendium also includes a giant, colorfully illustrated gate-fold timeline that offers a unique way of looking at the history of baseball. The timeline integrates world events with major moments in baseball for a unique overview of social history.