The Cubs' losing streak has become science fiction's go-to check on reality

The Chicago Cubs are in the World Series for the first time in decades. The team’s losing streak is legendary: it hasn’t won the title since 1908, and last made it to the Series in 1945. It’s a drought that has become so ingrained in culture that it’s held up as an enduring yardstick for the idea that there are just some things will always stay the same, even far into the future.
The losing streak is supposedly due to a curse placed on the team in 1945, whichauthor Jim Bu