It’s not hyperbole to say Babe Ruth was one of a handful of most famous Americans from the 20th century. Famous. Influential. Important. Respected. Loved. He was all of that, yet so much more.
Albert Einstein. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Walt Disney. Henry Ford. Muhammad Ali. Elvis Presley. JFK. Martin Luther King Jr. Amelia Earhart. John Wayne. Alexander Graham Bell. Marilyn Monroe. Bill Gates. Bob Dylan. Billy Graham. Steve Jobs. And George Herman “Babe” Ruth.
Actually, that list only scratches the surface of American greatness. But the poor kid from Baltimore who was sent to a catholic school for boys needing guidance, grew into a man of great talent, power and wealth by launching baseballs into the stands with alarming frequency. Nobody had ever done or seen anything like it before Ruth came along. He changed the game. And he changed the way the public eyed celebrity. Babe Ruth was America.