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Key dates in the history of the Chicago Cubs from 1981 up to a sale agreement announced on Friday:

— 1981: William Wrigley announces sale of the Cubs to the media conglomerate Tribune Co. for $20.5 million, ending the Wrigley family’s 65-year ownership.

— 1984: Cubs win their first NL Eastern Division championship, returning to the post-season for the first time since 1945.

— 1988: Cubs play their first night game at Wrigley Field.

— 1989: Cubs win their second NL Eastern Division championship.

— 1998: Chicago Cub Sammy Sosa and St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire captivate nation with their battle to break Roger Maris’ season record of 61 homers. McGwire sets the new record with 70 home runs; Sosa finishes with 66.

— Sept. 28, 1998: Cubs capture NL wild-card by beating the San Francisco Giants in one-game playoff.

— 2003: The Cubs win their first NL Central Division title and come within five outs of advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1945. But they lose Games 6 of the NL Championship Series after Cubs fan Steve Bartman infamously deflects a foul ball outfielder Moises Alou tried to catch. They go on to lose Game 7 as well.

— 2007: Cubs parent company Tribune Co. accepts an $8.2 billion buyout led by billionaire investor Sam Zell, who said he will sell the team and storied Wrigley Field and use the proceeds to pay down debt. Later the same year, the Cubs win the National League Central title, but they’re swept in the National League Division Series by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

— 2008: In the season marking the 100th anniversary since the last Cubs’ World Series championship, they win their second straight National League Central title. But they’re swept again in the National League Division Series, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Later the same year, Tribune Co. seeks bankruptcy protection because of dwindling advertising revenues and a $13 billion debt.

— Aug. 21, 2009: Tribune Co. announces a $845 million agreement to sell all but a 5 percent stake in the Cubs and Wrigley Field to the billionaire Ricketts family.

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Sources: Chicago Cubs, Associated Press archives.