Hank's Homers
1974 AD
1974 1974
84.23W34.45N
MISC

ATLANTA, GEORGIA
	A lot of people thought nobody could swat a baseball like the great Babe Ruth.  But Hank Aaron kept at it, and on May 8, 1974, in front of 53,000 fans at Atlanta Stadium, Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Ruth's lifetime home run record.
	Aaron had come far.  He was born in 1934 in Mobile, Alabama, and began playing baseball at age 15 with the semi-pro Mobile Black Bears.
	Later he joined the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro National League, then attracted the attention of the Boston Braves, which assigned him to its Class C team in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and later to its Class A team in Jacksonville, Florida.  As a black, he was booed when he first appeared on the field, but as people watched they were impressed, and some even cheered.
	In 1954, when left fielder Bobby Thomson broke his ankle, Aaron was selected to play with the Milwaukee Braves.  Then, in 1972 -- with the Braves now in Atlanta -- Aaron was given $200,000 a year, making him the highest paid player in baseball history at that point.
