In Atlanta Stadium, On April 8, 1974, At 9:07 PM, Hank Aaron (Playing For The Atlanta Braves) Hit His 715th Home Run Against The Los Angeles Dodgers --- Breaking The Previous Record Held By Babe Ruth. The Ball Game Was Stopped While 53,775 Fans Gave Aaron A 15-Minute Ovation.
Prior To The Event Aaron Had Received Death Threats And Hate Mail From Racist Whites Who Did Not Want To Have Ruth’s Record Broken By A Black Man.
Aaron, Who Began His Professional Baseball Career At Age 18, In The Negro Leagues, Played From 1954 - 1976. By The Time He Retired He Had Broken Numerous Records Including: Most Runs Batted In (2,297) And A Total Of 755 Home Runs.
He Was Ranked No. 5 On The Sporting News List Of 100 Greatest Baseball Players And Elected To The MasterCard Major League Baseball All Century Team.
On January 11. 1976, Hall Of Fame Baseball Player, Henry "Hank" Aaron, Received The 60th Annual NAACP Spingarn Medal For His Accomplishments On And Off The Baseball Diamond.
Hank Aaron
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
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