Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio.

Babe Ruth was one of the most famous and influential players in the history of baseball. Born George Herman Ruth Jr. on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland, he had a difficult childhood and was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys at the age of seven. There he learned to play baseball under the guidance of Brother Matthias Boutlier, who recognized his exceptional athletic ability. Ruth’s talent eventually attracted the attention of Jack Dunn, owner of the minor-league Baltimore Orioles, who signed him in 1914. Because Ruth was so young, other players jokingly referred to him as “Dunn’s babe,” helping give rise to the nickname that would remain with him for the rest of his life.

Ruth began his Major League Baseball career with the Boston Red Sox in 1914, initially establishing himself as an outstanding left-handed pitcher. Between 1915 and 1917, he was among the best pitchers in the American League and helped the Red Sox win three World Series championships. However, Ruth’s extraordinary ability as a hitter soon became impossible to ignore. The Red Sox increasingly used him in the outfield so that he could play every day, and in 1919 he hit a then-record 29 home runs. At a time when baseball was dominated by pitching, bunting and base stealing, Ruth demonstrated that spectacular power hitting could transform the game.

In late 1919, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the New York Yankees, one of the most consequential transactions in sporting history. Ruth immediately became the greatest attraction in baseball, hitting 54 home runs in 1920 and an astonishing 59 in 1921. In 1927, as part of the legendary Yankees lineup known as “Murderers’ Row,” he hit 60 home runs, a Major League record that stood until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. Ruth helped the Yankees win seven American League pennants and four World Series championships during his career with the club. His enormous popularity also helped turn the Yankees into baseball’s most celebrated franchise and contributed to the construction of Yankee Stadium, which became popularly known as “The House That Ruth Built.”

Ruth left the Yankees after the 1934 season and finished his playing career with the Boston Braves in 1935. He retired with 714 career home runs, a record that remained unbroken until Hank Aaron surpassed it in 1974, as well as a remarkable .342 career batting average. Ruth was among the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He died from cancer on August 16, 1948, at the age of 53. More than simply a great player, Babe Ruth became one of America’s first modern sporting celebrities. His combination of extraordinary power, larger-than-life personality and ability to attract huge crowds helped usher baseball into a new era and ensured that the “Sultan of Swat” would remain one of the most recognizable figures in sporting history.