1894-1948
Home-Run King

Greatest Hitter in baseball History.

Babe Ruth singlehandedly changed the character of baseball through his home run prowess, altering the game from an exercise in base-hitting, bunting, and base-stealing to a drama of long-ball hitting. For thirtynine years he held the record for career home runs — 714 — which stood until 8 April 1974, when Henry Aaron hit his 715th home run in Atlanta for the Atlanta Braves. At Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, an entire room is devoted to Ruth's accomplishments and memorabilia. Ruth was also the first player to earn huge sums of money from baseball, an estimated $1 million in salaries and bonuses and at least another $1 million from endorsements and other enterprises.

Early Life.

The legend surrounding Ruth's life and career has its origins in his troubled upbringing. When he was eight years old he...