--1916: Herbert Eugene Caen born on April 3 in Sacramento. To this day, he claims to have been conceived in San Francisco during the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, since his parents summered here.

--1932: After graduating from high school, where ``Raisen' Caen'' wrote ``Corridor Gossip,'' Caen is hired by the Sacramento Union as a sports reporter.

--1936: San Francisco Chronicle editor Paul Smith hires Caen to write a radio column.

--1938: The Chronicle scraps its radio column. Thinking quick, Caen tells Smith he could do a daily column on the city. ``It's News To Me'' debuts on July 5, appearing six days each week.

--1942: After World War II begins, Caen joins the Air Force. Assigned to communications, he reaches the rank of captain and in 1945 on V-E day: Paris, the first of many visits for this confirmed Francophile.

--1948: The columnist appears between hard covers with ``The San Francisco Book.'' It is only moderately successful; however, the following year his ``Baghdad-By-The- Bay'' goes through seven printings and sparks a commendation from the Chamber of Commerce to Caen for his ``literary contributions to the prestige of our community.''

--1950: Dismayed at his weekly paycheck, Caen bolts the Chronicle to join the Examiner.

--1957: Time magazine profiles Caen, dubbing him the ``Caliph of Baghdad.''

--1958: Caen returns to the Chronicle with a $38,000 salary; presumably he has received raises since. Twice married and divorced, this year Caen also marries for the third time. It will prove to be his longest union, ending in 1983.

--1964: Rolling Stones visit San Francisco for the first time. ``Satisfaction'' is still a year away, but a Caen item notes that Charlie Watts bought four rifles on Fourth Street: ``A real gun nut, is Charlie.''

--1965: Birth of Christopher, Caen's only child.

--1966: Caen hits the half-century mark. ``The only way to fight a thing like 50 is to stay au courant if it kills you,'' he comments in his birthday column -- and indeed, the columns this year are full of items about hippies and dismay about the Vietnam War.

--1968: Still a gossip at heart, Caen informs readers on March 28 that ``Either John (Honey-Bunny Boo) Breckinridge, the Sharon heir, has got himself a new wife, or his dearest friends don't know whereof they blab.''

--1976: Publication of ``One Man's San Francisco,'' Caen's finest book and his last original collection of columns.

--1978: Caen visits China. Writes about it.

--1984: The Hard Rock Cafe opens with a party where then-hot Cyndi Lauper performs; unimpressed, Caen writes that she ``sounds like a chipmunk on speed.''

--1985: Caen sails up the Nile. Writes about it.

--1988: Fiftieth anniversary of the column is marked by a special edition of the Chronicle's Sunday Punch. People paying homage range from Willie Brown to Gary Larsen, author of the ``Far Side'' cartoons.

--1991: Reneging on his deal with Paul Smith, Caen shifts gears and begins writing ``only'' five columns each week.