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Lucille Désirée Ball
Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown, New York. Her father was Henry Dunnell Ball, and her mother was Desiree Hunt Ball. She had one sibling, a younger brother named Fred Ball, who was born in 1915 . -
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Life of Lucille Ball
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Gained National Exposure
Becomes Chesterfield cigarettes Poster Girl under the name Diane Belmont -
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Hollywood Bound
Lucy signs a movie contract with Samuel Goldwin, who brings her to Hollywood to be one of the 20 original Goldwyn Girls. -
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Queen of the B's
Lucy plays bit parts in 43 films and becomes known as "Queen of the B Movies." -
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Signs with Max Factor
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. -
Married
Married Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (Desi Arnaz), Cuban percussionist, whom she met while both were filming Too Many Girls. -
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Desilu Productions
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. -
Birth to First Child
Daughter - Lucie Desiree Arnaz -
I Love Lucy Made its Debut
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1st Emmy
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. -
Gives Birth to Second Child
Lucille Ball gave birth to second child Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y Acha IV (Desi, Jr.). I Love Lucy episode in which Lucy Ricardo gave birth to Little Ricky in telecast. Received first two Emmy Awards, for Best Comedienne and Best Situation Comedy on the Air. -
TV Guide
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. -
"I Love Lucy" Ends
"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." -
Files for Dvorce
Lucille Ball files for divorce from Desi Arnaz -
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The Final Episode
The final filming and airing of the Lucille Ball - Desi Arnaz show. Desi sold his share of the studio to Lucy for 3 million dollars. -
Divorced
Lucy and Desi divorce after 20 tumultuous years of marriage. -
Second Marriage
Lucy married Morton Goldapper (Gary Morton), who became her executive producer. (until her death) -
Desilu Productions Sold
Lucy sold Desilu to Gulf and Western Industries for 18 million dollars. -
Award
Lucille Ball was honored with an award for life-long achievement at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, by President Reagan. -
Surgery
Lucille underwent emergency heart surgery. -
Death
Lucy died from a ruptured aorta following open-heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
