1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: a show that runs the basis of history every day 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: of the week. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're celebrating 5 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:26,159 Speaker 1: the career highlight of Henry Hank Aaron, one of the 6 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: great home run kings of baseball and a shining example 7 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: of grace under pressure. The day was April eighteen, seventy four. 8 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his seven hundred 9 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: and fifteen career home run, surpassing Babe Ruth for the 10 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: top spot on baseball's all time list. More than fifty 11 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: three thousand fans gathered in the Atlanta Stadium that night, 12 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: ex affecting and hoping that home run history would be made. 13 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,040 Speaker 1: The big moment arrived during the fourth inning when Hank 14 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: Aaron sent a pitch from the l a Dodgers owl, 15 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: downing clear over the outfield wall. The stadium erupted in cheers, 16 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: but it was a somewhat bittersweet moment for Aaron and 17 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: those close to him. As an African American athlete chasing 18 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: the record of a beloved white icon of the game. 19 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: Aaron became the target of racist hate mail and even 20 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: death threats during his bid for the record about a 21 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: year earlier, Henry Hank Aaron entered the nineteen seventy three 22 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: season with six hundred and seventy three home runs to 23 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: his name. That meant he would need forty one more 24 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: to tie Babe Ruth's record by the end of the season, 25 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: a tall order for any player, but especially for one 26 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:57,279 Speaker 1: who was pushing forty like Aaron. In fact, at the time, 27 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: the record for the most home runs during a season 28 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: hit by a player thirty nine years or older was 29 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: thirty eleven runs, less than what Aaron hoped to hit 30 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: in his thirty ninth year. But as you've likely guessed, 31 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: Aaron did far better than that. After playing just a 32 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty games that season, Aaron racked up 33 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: an impressive forty home runs, leaving him just one short 34 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: of tying Ruth's record. Unfortunately, Aaron's forty run came during 35 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: his last time at bat that season, which meant that 36 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: he would have to wait a full six months before 37 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: he'd have the chance to hit number seven fourteen. Finally, 38 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: on opening day in Cincinnati on April fourth, seventy four, 39 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: Aaron officially tied the all time record for home runs. 40 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: Aaron had several more chances to hit home run number 41 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: seven fifteen, but for whatever reason, it didn't happen at 42 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: any of the Braves away games, and since a Natty, 43 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: his next chance would be at the fourth game of 44 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: the season, the first one to be played in the 45 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: team's hometown of Atlanta. Expectations were high that Aaron would 46 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 1: break the record that evening, so a massive celebration was 47 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: planned to mark the occasion. An American flag in the 48 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: shape of the US was painted on the grass in 49 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: center field, and Pearl Bailey was on hand to sing 50 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: the national anthem. There was also a team of dancers, 51 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: two bands, and several thousand balloons just in case. Sammy 52 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: Davis Jr. Attended the game, as did the mayor of 53 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: Atlanta and Georgia Governor and future president Jimmy Carter. Sixty 54 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: three police officers were on duty at the stadium that day, 55 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: about four times the amount stationed at most opening days 56 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: in Atlanta. The stronger police presence was partly in response 57 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: to that high profile guest list, but it was also 58 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: a precaution in case an attack was made on Hank Aaron. 59 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: The closer he came to breaking Ruth's record, the more 60 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: male he received. In fact, Aaron got so many letters 61 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: that year the US Post Office gave him a plaque 62 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: recognizing him as the recipient of more mail than any 63 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: other private citizen in the country. Most of that male 64 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: was from fans, but a disturbing amount was from white 65 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: supremacists who didn't like the idea of Aaron dethroning the 66 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: Great Bambino. The letters that made threats on Aaron's life, 67 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: some of which included diagrams, were forwarded directly to the FBI. 68 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: The team did its best to keep the worst examples 69 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: out of Aaron's view, but eventually even his daughter began 70 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 1: receiving death threats at college. Aaron commented on the vicious 71 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: letters in three telling the New York Daily News quote, 72 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 1: if I were a white man, all America would be 73 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: proud of me. But I'm black. You have to be 74 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: black in am Erica to know how sick some people are. 75 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:06,479 Speaker 1: I've always thought racism a problem, even with as much 76 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: progress as America has made. Because of the dangerous atmosphere, 77 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:15,080 Speaker 1: Aaron chose to stay in a different hotel from his teammates. 78 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 1: The night before his record setting game, he was also 79 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: escorted everywhere he went by Calvin Wardlaw, an off duty 80 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,480 Speaker 1: cop who served as the player's personal bodyguard. On the 81 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: night of April eighth, ward Law was in the stands 82 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: keeping an eye on Erin with a thirty eight pistol 83 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,719 Speaker 1: stashed in his binocular case. Aaron's first turn at bat 84 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: that night came in the bottom of the second, but 85 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: it didn't deliver the home run that all his fans 86 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:47,360 Speaker 1: were waiting for. Instead, Al Downing walked Erin on five pitches, 87 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: and though he managed to score on a double hit 88 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: by teammate Dusty Baker, the Braves went into the third 89 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,799 Speaker 1: inning trailing l a three to one. That was still 90 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,159 Speaker 1: the score when Aaron came to the plate again end 91 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: in the bottom of the fourth, Downing threw low on 92 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 1: the first pitch for ball one, and on his second 93 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: he decided to throw a fastball. It was a risky 94 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:14,239 Speaker 1: move because, as fellow pitcher Kurt Simmons once said, quote, 95 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: trying to throw a fastball by Henry Aaron is like 96 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster. Sure Enough, 97 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: the ball didn't get past Aaron. He hit it dead on, 98 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: sending it flying to the three and eighty five foot 99 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: marker in left center field. It was home run number 100 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 1: seven hundred and fifteen for Hank Aaron in the end 101 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,280 Speaker 1: of a forty seven year record for Babe Ruth. Of course, 102 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 1: hearing me recount the hit can't compare to seeing or 103 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: hearing it for yourself. So here's the next best thing. 104 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: Braves announcer Milo Hamilton's making the call for Aaron's historic 105 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:59,360 Speaker 1: home run sitting on seven fourteen. Here's the pitch by downing, 106 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 1: trying but driving the lighter failed that fall. It's gone 107 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: a bay, It's gone A's seven fifteen. There's no home 108 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: run champion of all time at It's Henry Arran. The 109 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: fireworks are going Henry Aaron. If coming around third his 110 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: teammates run home plate and lesson of us crowd, A 111 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: Shawd crowd is sharing Henry Arran, the home run king 112 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: of all time shoven fifteen. As you heard, the home 113 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: crowd was on its feet as Aaron started rounding the basis. 114 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: But to seventeen year old fans decided to go a 115 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: step further. They leapt onto the field and began running 116 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: in Aaron's direction as fast as they could. Calvin Wardlaw 117 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: watched the scene from the stands, his pistol at the ready, 118 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: unsure if he should make a move. Thankfully for everyone involved, 119 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,239 Speaker 1: ward Law kept his cool, and it soon became clear 120 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: that the boys were firmly on Aaron's side. They patted 121 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: him on the back and offered some quick congratulations before 122 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 1: darting off to avoid stadium security, who eventually did catch 123 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 1: up with them. The incident, though tense and certainly ill advised, 124 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: was a welcome reminder that those who hated Hank Aaron 125 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: were very much the exception and not the rule. With 126 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: fireworks going off overhead and the crowd cheering all around them, 127 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: Aaron met his teammates at home plate and was quickly 128 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: joined there by his parents and by his bodyguard. Of course, 129 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,839 Speaker 1: it was only the fourth inning, so the game eventually continued, 130 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,440 Speaker 1: with the Braves going on to claim a seven to 131 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: four victory over the l A. Dodgers. When the game 132 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: was finished, Aaron described the sense of peace he felt 133 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: after hitting number seven fifteen. He said, quote, I just 134 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 1: thank god it's all over. I feel I can relax now. 135 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,679 Speaker 1: I feel my teammates can relax. I feel I can 136 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: have a great season, and you know, even if it 137 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: wasn't his best, Aaron still hit twenty home runs in 138 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 1: the seventy four season. In between nineteen seventy five and 139 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: his retirement in nineteen seventy six, he added another twenty 140 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,960 Speaker 1: two to his total. By the end of his career, 141 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: Hank Aaron had a mass seven hundred and fifty five 142 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 1: home runs, forty one more than the previous record. Also, 143 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: while home runs were his specialty, he was nicknamed Hammer 144 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 1: and Hank for a reason. Aaron didn't stop making history 145 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: once he hung up his cleats. Instead, he went on 146 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: to rejoin the Atlanta Braves as an executive and later 147 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: became the team's vice president and director of player development. 148 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: This made him one of the first African Americans to 149 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:54,480 Speaker 1: reach the upper management level of Major League Baseball. His 150 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: achievements on the field weren't forgotten either. Aaron was inducted 151 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 1: into the Baseball Hall of Aime in two the first 152 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: year he was eligible for the honor. He kept close 153 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:08,320 Speaker 1: ties to the game he loved for the rest of 154 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: his life, and Hank Aaron passed away peacefully in his 155 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: sleep on January one, at the age of eighty six. 156 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:22,079 Speaker 1: As for that hard fought home run record, it's actually 157 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:25,320 Speaker 1: been topped a few times now. The first was in 158 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 1: two thousand seven, when Barry Bonds hit his seven hundred 159 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 1: and fifty sixth career home run. That event became mired 160 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: in controversy when Bonds later admitted to using steroids, but 161 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: that's a story for another day. I'm Gabe Lousier and 162 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:47,959 Speaker 1: hopefully you now know a little more about history today 163 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. If you enjoyed the show and 164 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: want to learn even more about today's topic, check us 165 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: out on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d i 166 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,959 Speaker 1: h C Show. You can also write to the show 167 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 1: directly at this Day at I heart media dot com. 168 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:09,400 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thanks 169 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:11,959 Speaker 1: to you for listening. I'll see you back here again 170 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 1: soon for another day in History class.