1942 and 1944 Hall of Fame

 The Hall of Fame today is a yearly vote. After the initial number of players were selected in 1939, the Hall took the controversial route of not voting every year. As a result, there was no effort to find new immortals in 1940 or 1941. 1942 gave us just Hornsby and the plan was to wait until 1945 to vote again. In the meantime, Commissioner Landis died and there was a swelling of support for his immediate enshrinement, which was indeed granted.

Also inducted:
Kenesaw Mountain Landis (Executive) First Commissioner of Major League Baseball. His leadership was instrumental in restoring public confidence in the game following the Black Sox Scandal.