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1943: NFL grants Rams permission to suspend operations for one season because of World War II. Co-owners Daniel Reeves and Fred Levy Jr. had joined the armed forces the previous year. Things were different in then in the NFL, weren’t they?

1945: Rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield, a third-round draft pick out of UCLA, leads the Rams to a 9-1 record and a divisional championship. Rams then beat the Washington Redskins at Cleveland Stadium, 15-14, for the NFL Championship. But sorry, Cleveland, it would be the final game the Rams play in you.

1946: Reeves, back from the service, empties his duffle bag and moves the team to Los Angeles. At first other NFL teams are reluctant to shell out the travel money to play on the West Coast, until Reeves promises each one an additional $5,000 guarantee. Reeves then signs end Woody Strode and back Kenny Washington, two black players, one year before the Brooklyn Dodgers break baseball’s color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson.

1947: The Rams’ horns are born. Proudly wearing their new gold-horned Rams' helmets, crafted by former art major Fred Gehrke, Los Angeles soars to a 6-6 record.

1949: After four financially ruinous seasons competing with the cross-town Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Conference, the Rams finally break through. The Dons move out, and the Rams win their first divisional title since moving west, led by one-two quarterback punch of Waterfield and rookie Norm Van Brocklin, running back Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch and end Tom Fears. But L.A. loses NFL title game in rainstorm to visiting Philadelphia Eagles, 14-0.

1950: For those who think the NFL was old and clunky in the '50s, please note: On Oct. 22, 1950, Rams defeat Baltimore Colts 70-27 -- still their highest point total ever. Think about that as you’re watching your tape of last week’s 11-6 victory over Tampa Bay.

1951: Rams win their third straight conference title, then beat Cleveland, 24-17, for the NFL Championship at the Los Angeles Coliseum. That’s a wee bit of irony, because the Browns had just moved into the city, which the Rams had abandoned five years earlier. A 73-yard Van Brocklin-to-Fears touchdown pass decides the game.

1952: Waterfield retires. Rams trade 11 players to Dallas for rookie Les Richter.

1955: Led by Van Brocklin and Richter, Rams win conference title with 8-3-1 record under rookie coach Sid Gillman, but lose to Browns, 38-14, in NFL championship game. The game marked the beginning of hard times in Los Angeles -- the team would not return to the playoffs for 12 seasons, a stretch which included eight losing campaigns (1-12-1 in 1962).

1957: Rams name their former publicist Pete Rozelle as general manager.

1958: Van Brocklin traded to Eagles.

1960: Pete Rozelle named NFL commissioner. Elroy Hirsch replaces Rozelle as Rams general manager, and Bob Waterfield is named head coach. Rams finish 4-7-1. Woody Strode stars in “Sergeant Rutledge”, a groundbreaking movie about a black cavalry officer on trial for murder. He will go on to make 35 more feature films.

1961: Rams trade Bill Wade, Del Shofner and John Guzik for Zeke Bratkowski, Lindon Crow and a first-round draft pick in 1962 ... which would allow the Rams to draft both Roman Gabriel and Merlin Olsen. Team finishes 4-10.

1962: After a 1-7 start, Waterfield resigns as coach.

1963: Reeves sells 49 percent interest in team to a group which includes Gene Autry. Les Richter retires. After an 0-5 start, Gabriel is handed the reigns at quarterback, and leads Rams to 5-4 mark the rest of the way. Rosey Grier is acquired from New York Giants to join Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen and Lamar Lundy to form original Fearsome Foursome.

1964: Deacon Jones records NFL’s first 20-sack season, with 22. Team finishes 5-7.

1966: George Allen wins a court fight with Chicago Bears owner George Halas, allowing him to leave the Bears and become head coach of the Rams. NFL merges with AFL in the spring. Bob Kelley, the Rams’ announcer since the beginning in 1937, dies in September. Team finishes 8-6.

1967: Rams finish 11-1-2 to win Coastal Division Championship - their first title of any kind since 1955. They then lose to Green Bay, 28-7, in Western Conference Championship Game. The Sporting News names George Allen NFL Coach of the Year, and Deacon Jones establishes NFL records with 26 sacks and 100 solo tackles.

1968: Rams finish 10-3-1, but miss the playoffs, finishing second in Coastal Division to Baltimore (13-1). Attendance at the L.A. Coliseum tops 1 million for the second straight year. George Allen is fired as head coach on the day after Christmas, but is re-hired two weeks later. Deacon Jones records 24 sacks.

1969: After 20 years with the Rams on the playing field and in the front office, Elroy Hirsch leaves to become athletic director at the University of Wisconsin. NFL MVP Roman Gabriel leads Rams to Coastal Division title with an 11-3 record, but L.A. loses to Minnesota Vikings, 23-20, in Western Conference title game.

1970: NFL completes merger with AFL to form a 26-team league. Rams join San Francisco, Atlanta and New Orleans in Western Division of the National Conference. Rams finish second to 49ers in division race, and Allen’s contract is not renewed.

1971: Owner Daniel Reeves dies of cancer in New York. Robert Irsay becomes owner, and William Barnes becomes president and general manager. Tommy Prothro is brought on as head coach. Rams again finish second in division to 49ers.

1972: We’ve heard of big trades, but this is ridiculous. Baltimore Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom trades the Baltimore franchise to Robert Irsay in exchange for the Rams. Movers are hired, but no one can locate a box large enough to transport Coy Bacon. Rosey Grier appears in the film “The Thing With Two Heads, ” described thusly: “An ironic twist of fate leaves the head of a bigoted scientist transplanted onto the shoulders of a black convict. ”Grier’s is one of the heads. This is the Rams’ most bizarre season ever.

1973: Rosenbloom’s first big move is to hire former Detroit assistant Chuck Knox as head coach. Rams finish 12-2 -- the most wins in team history. Gabriel was traded to Philadelphia in the preseason, and his replacement, John Hadl, was named NFL Player of the Year. Rams win NFC West title, but lose in playoffs to Dallas. Rosenbloom also brings back old blue and gold uniforms.

1974: Rams trade John Hadl to Green Bay for five draft choices -- a very bold move for its day. Team finishes 10-4 under QB James Harris and wins its second straight NFC West title, then defeats Washington, 19-10, for franchise’s first playoff victory since 1951. But Rams then lose to Vikings, 14-10, in NFC title game.

1975: Led by Jack Youngblood, Rams defense allows second-fewest points in NFL history (135 over 14 games). Yes, we’re looking up which team holds the record so keep your pants on, nosey. Rams go 12-2, and after a playoff victory over St. Louis, bow to Dallas in NFC Championship Game, 37-7. Tackle Jackie Slater is drafted out of Jackson State; scouts say the kid might be good enough to stick around for a season or two.

1976: Rams win fourth straight NFC West title at 10-3-1, then beat Dallas, 14-12, on the road in playoffs. Minnesota then claims a 24-13 win in NFC title game. Rams fans will come to loathe the plaintive wail of that Viking horn.

1977: Lawrence McCutcheon sets club career rushing record of 5,523 yards, as the Rams (10-4) claim fifth straight division title. They then lose in the first round of the playoffs, 14-7, to -- who else? -- Minnesota.

1978: Rosenbloom hires George Allen as head coach, but releases him in preseason. What’s up with that? Crazy dopes. Ray Malavasi is hired, and leads team to 12-4 record and sixth straight division title. In playoffs, Rams beat Minnesota (34-10) but lose to Dallas. QB Pat Haden wins NFL Player of the Year.

1979: Carroll Rosenbloom dies April 2 in drowning accident, and his widow, Georgia, becomes majority owner. Team moves to Anaheim, wins seventh straight division crown (an NFL record), and rolls to its first Super Bowl appearance with playoff wins over Dallas (21-19) and Tampa Bay (9-0). Steelers prevail in Super Bowl, 31-19.

1981: Rams finish 6-10, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1972. Meanwhile, a young quarterback named Joe Montana leads the 49ers to division title and victory in Super Bowl XVI. It’s a new decade, bunky.

1982: NFL players’ strike wipes out seven games of the regular season, and Rams finish 2-7. Team acquires Bert Jones at QB. Malavasi is fired. But in the offseason, Rams draft running back Eric Dickerson.

1983: Former USC head coach John Robinson is hired, and Eric Dickerson rushes for a rookie record 1,808 yards.
1984: Eric Dickerson breaks O.J. Simpson’s NFL single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards. Scientists say that if Dickerson could run straight up, it would only take him 31 seasons to reach the moon. Quarterback Jeff Kemp replaces injured Vince Ferragamo in Week 3 and engineers nine wins. Jack Youngblood sets team record by playing in 201st consecutive game.

1985: Rams lose to Chicago Bears in NFC Championship Game, after posting 11-5 season record. Dickerson rushes for 1,234 yards despite missing the first two games, and sets NFL playoff record with 248 yards in a win over Dallas in Anaheim (20-0).

1987: Rams miss playoffs for first time in five seasons with a 6-9 record. Team trades Dickerson to Baltimore for six draft choices (including three No. 1s.). Charles White takes over for Dickerson and wins NFL rushing title with 1,374 yards. Real, actual Rams in nearby San Gabriel Mountains show little interest.

1988: With Jim Everett at QB, Rams go 10-6 to make John Robinson the winningest coach in club history, with 58. Rams lose NFC Wildcard Playoff game to Minnesota (arrgh!).

1989: Rams finish 11-5, finishing second to San Francisco and entering the playoffs as a wildcard. QB Jim Everett becomes first player in club history to pass for more than 4,000 yards (4,310), and receivers Henry Ellard (1,382) and Flipper Anderson (1,146) are the first teammates to gain more than 1,000 yards in the same season. Even so, the 49ers polish off the Rams in the NFC title game, 30-3.

1990: Rams foil 49ers’ attempt to break NFL record for consecutive wins by beating San Francisco at Candlestick Park, 28-17. But wait, another streak is just about to begin. That game would be the last time the Rams would beat the 49ers in 17 consecutive tries - an NFL record for futility against one club.

1991: Rams suffer through 3-13 season, and John Robinson resigns as head coach. It is the second of nine straight losing seasons for the Rams, during which the team compiles a 45-99 record.

1992: Rams hire Chuck Knox as head coach. No this is not a typo. They brought him back, OK?

1993: Rams running back Jerome Bettis wins Rookie of the Year honors after running for 1,429 yards. Well, that’s about it. Rams finish 5-11.

1995: After 49 years in Los Angeles, Frontiere moves franchise to St. Louis. The city has not had a pro football team since the Cardinals left in 1987, but remember what one looks like. Isaac Bruce has 119 receptions for 1,781 yards. Jackie Slater becomes the first player in NFL history to play 20 seasons with one team. QB Chris Miller announces his retirement due to problems with concussions. Rams finish 7-9.

1997: On their 60th anniversary in the NFL, Rams hire Dick Vermeil as head coach, replacing Rich Brooks. In December, the team signs lightly regarded Arena League quarterback Kurt Warner, who had been playing for the Iowa Barnstormers. They send him to NFL Europe for a look-see. Rams finish 5-11.

1998: In training camp, Warner beats out Will Furrer for the No. 3 quarterback spot, behind Steve Bono and Tony Banks. After Banks suffers a knee injury, Warner graduates to No. 2. His season stats: 4-of-11, 39 yards, 0 TDs. Rams finish 4-12.

1999: Rams acquire Pro Bowl running back Marshall Faulk from Indianapolis in exchange for two draft choices. They also bring in free agent quarterback Trent Green, who had made a strong showing in Washington. First-round draft pick Torry Holt, a speedy receiver from North Carolina State, looks good in workouts. But one cannot help but feel that it will be business as usual in St. Louis, especially when Green goes down with a season-ending knee injury during the exhibition season; a development which brings Vermeil to tears in a news conference. ... But Kurt Warner, Green's backup, turns out to be an all-world quarterback. Sparked by an amazing array of speed at wide receiver and running back, the Rams roll to a 13-3 record and the top seed in the NFC. St. Louis outruns Minnesota 49-37 in a second-round playoff game, then slips past Tampa Bay 11-6 to reach its first Super Bowl since 1951.

2000: Rams beat Titans 23-16 in one of the best Super Bowls ever played, ensuring victory only when linebacker Mike Jones drags down Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson one yard short of the goal line on the final play.

The next season, the Rams struggle to a 10-6 record and an NFC wild-card berth, hampered in part by a porous defense. St. Louis makes the playoffs but is eliminated in the first round by New Orleans, 31-28.

2001: During the off-season, the Rams remake their defense, trading defensive end Kevin Carter to the Titans and signing safety Kim Herring from the Ravens and cornerback Aeneas Williams from the Cardinals. St. Louis also drafts heavily for defense, picking defensive tackles Damione Lewis of Miami (Fla.) and Ryan Pickett of Ohio State, safety Adam Archuleta of Arizona State and linebacker Tommy Polley of Florida State.

The revamped defense sparks the Rams' rebound, as the team goes 14-2 and wins the top seed in the NFC again. Kurt Warner earns his second MVP award, throwing for 4,830 yards and 36 touchdowns, and running back Marshall Faulk is named AP offensive player of the year.