One hundred years ago today, the Houston Chronicle made history when it became the first newspaper to deliver World Series results via airplane.

On that Oct. 1, two airplanes departed Houston. One, piloted by E.W. Cleveland, followed the International & Great Northern line out of the city and dropped well-wrapped bundles of World Series extra editions over towns like Aldine, Westfield, Spring, Tamina, Conroe, Huntsville, Crockett and Palestine.

Another plane traveled southwest, dropping newspapers over Sugar Land, Richmond, Rosenberg, El Campo and Wharton. The plane, carrying C.C. McCabe and Louis Mary, was supposed to make its way to Victoria, but engine trouble cut the trip short at Edna.

The arrival of the Chronicle with results from the Game 1 showdown between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox created quite a stir in these towns, as the paper noted the following day.

Sugar Land -- "Airplane passed over at 4:59, entire issue sold out at 5:01. Whirr of propeller interrupted work here, every desk occupant rushing to the street. The bundle of papers was cleanly dropped, falling near the gin in a zone of complete safety. The ship was flying low, just above the telegraph wires."

Richmond -- "Airplane extras were cleanly dropped here at 5:05 and went like hot cakes. Great stunt. Fans clamoring for more."

Huntsville -- "Airplane special passed over Huntsville about 6 o'clock. Great crowd [illegible] and cheered aviator as he dropped two bundles. One landed in courthouse yard, the other across the street in front of J. Robert King's drug store. Crowds kept under cover and nobody was hit. Everybody talking about your stunt. Agent sold large number of newspapers, collecting for same in advance. Congratulations."

By Oct. 7, the routes had shifted east, with drops in Crosby, Liberty, Nome, Sour Lake, Beaumont and Orange. The southwest route also moved, with drops in Alief, Gaston, Fulshear, Chesterville, Eagle Lake and points west to Gonzales.

In Houston, a Chronicle staffer with a megaphone and a blackboard updated the sports fans that gathered outside its Texas Avenue building.

Keep in mind, this was a time just before regular AM radio broadcasting would transform how we receive news and information.

Of course, the Reds would defeat the White Sox five games to three in what would become the most scandal-plagued World Series in baseball history.

These days, with push notifications, social media and a roster of newsletters, the Chronicle has little need to resort to airplane drops to bring you the latest sports news.

J.R. Gonzales, a third-generation Houstonian, covers local history with an eye toward the people and events that have mostly been forgotten to time. Follow him through Bayou City History on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 713-362-6163 or john.gonzales@chron.com.