Sept. 7, 1979	ESPN launches at 7 p.m. ET.
April 1983	ESPN begins distributing programming internationally.
April 30, 1984	ABC completes acquisition of ESPN from Getty Oil. Later sells 20 percent to Nabisco, which is later, sold to Hearst.
January 1987	ESPN airs the America's Cup live from Australia; overwhelming response proves impact of cable and ESPN.
March 15, 1987	ESPN awarded NFL's first cable contract; begins fall '87.
March 31, 1988	ESPN International debuts in Central and South America.
Jan. 5, 1989	ESPN and Major League Baseball reach a four-year agreement to begin in 1990.
Jan.1, 1992	ESPN Radio launches.
Oct. 1, 1993	ESPN2 launches in 10 million homes.
May 9, 1994	ESPN acquires Creative Sports (now ESPN Regional Television).
Nov. 7, 1994	ESPN acquires SportsTicker.
April 1, 1995	ESPNET SportsZone (now ESPN.com) launches.
Feb. 8, 1996	The Walt Disney Company completes acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. (which owns ESPN, Inc.).
Nov. 1, 1996	ESPNEWS launches.
Oct. 9, 1997	ESPN, Inc. acquires Classic Sports Network (now ESPN Classic).
March 11, 1998	ESPN the Magazine launches.
July 11, 1998	First ESPN Zone, in Baltimore, opens.
Sept. 7, 1999	ESPN, Inc. celebrates 20th anniversary.
March 14, 2001	ESPN2 reaches 75 million homes faster than any other network - 89 months.
April 1, 2001	ESPN Deportes, a year-round block of exclusive Sunday night Spanish-language programming premieres.
April 4, 2001	ESPN acquires the business and assets of BASS, Inc., the largest fishing organization in the world.
June 5, 2001	ESPN Today launches.
Oct. 22, 2001	ESPN announces an 11-year agreement with the NCAA to televise every game of the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Jan. 22, 2002	ESPN reaches agreement for multimedia NBA coverage, becoming the first network to televise all four major professional sports-NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA.
March 30, 2003	ESPN HD, a high-definition simulcast service of ESPN, launches.
June 2003	ESPN Pay-Per-View, a new service based primarily on pay-per-view events, featuring NCAA baseball championship games, martial arts programs, fantasy league specials, and EOE-produced programming, launches
Jan. 7, 2004	ESPN Deportes, a 24-hour, Spanish language sports network launches.
May 12, 2004	ESPN, ABC Sports and the ACC announce a seven-year agreement for football, with more telecasts from the expanding conference, including the new championship game.
June 7, 2004	ESPN's 120,000-square foot Digital Center - one of the most technically advanced production facilities in the world, goes online with SportsCenter at 11 p.m. ET
Sept 7, 2004	ESPN Celebrates its 25th Anniversary
Dec. 1, 2004	ESPN announces it will launch Mobile ESPN, a new wireless phone service target to sports fans.
Jan. 6, 2005	ESPN2 HD, a high-definition simulcast service of ESPN2, launches.
March 4, 2005	ESPNU, a 24-hour network devoted to college sports, launches
April 18, 2005	ESPN Acquires Monday Night Football for eight years, beginning in 2006
June 1, 2005	ESPN, along with the Discovery Channel, becomes the first network in cable television history to pass the 90-million subscriber mark in the U.S.
Sept. 14, 2005	ESPN reaches agreement with Major League Baseball for eight years, through 2013.
George Bodenheimer, President ESPN and ABC Sports and Co-Chairman Disney Media Networks, joined ESPN in 1981. He was appointed President, ESPN, Inc. on November 9, 1998. He previously had been ESPN's Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing.