Babe Ruth Is Born

Setting the scene

George Herman Ruth Jr. was born on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland, to a saloonkeeper's family. At seven he was sent to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, where Brother Matthias taught him baseball.

What happened

Ruth debuted with the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher before the Yankees bought his contract in 1920 and moved him to outfield slugging. He hit 60 home runs in 1927, a record that stood for 34 years, and transformed baseball into a power game.

Why it still matters

Ruth's celebrity outgrew sports, inspiring nicknames like the Sultan of Swat and the called-shot legend of the 1932 World Series. Memorable detail: the Yankees sold Ruth to the Boston Braves in 1935 partly so he could manage, but he retired days after hitting three homers in one game in Pittsburgh—his last three career home runs.

Background

He transformed baseball into a power-hitting spectacle.