Hank Aaron Breaks Babe Ruth's All-Time Home Run Record

On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron hit home run number 715 and became baseball's all-time home run leader. The record had belonged to Babe Ruth for 39 years.

A sellout crowd of 53,775 packed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. In the second inning, Dodgers pitcher Al Downing walked Aaron on five pitches, and the crowd booed. They had come to see a swing, not a base on balls. In the fourth inning, Downing delivered a 1-0 fastball, and Aaron sent it over the left-center field fence into the Braves' bullpen, where relief pitcher Tom House caught it.

Two fans sprinted onto the field and ran alongside Aaron as he rounded second base, an image captured on national television. His teammates swarmed home plate. His mother, Estella, pushed through the crowd to embrace him. Braves broadcaster Milo Hamilton called the moment with a rising voice: "It's gone! It's 715! There's a new home run champion of all time, and it's Henry Aaron!"

Aaron had endured months of racist hate mail, death threats investigated by the FBI, and relentless media scrutiny. He later described the pursuit of Ruth's record as the most difficult period of his life. Reaching the milestone brought relief as much as joy.

The Braves won the game 7-4. Aaron finished the 1974 season with 20 home runs and retired after the 1976 season with 755 total. That number stood as the record for 33 years, until Barry Bonds surpassed it in 2007.

Aaron's swing on that April night in Atlanta remains one of the most significant moments in American sports history.