# @mdhistory on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc22nxMuKdc
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/19780403-mdhistory-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/c0e15b8558.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-04-27T14:00:50.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) (@mdhistory) — https://gondola.cc/mdhistory

## Caption

#OnThisDay in 1947, the first “Babe Ruth Day” was held to honor the legendary baseball player and Baltimore, Maryland, native George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Jr. Babe Ruth’s baseball career lasted 22 seasons (1914-1935), beginning with the minor-league Baltimore Orioles. 

Soon after signing with the Orioles, he was sold to the Boston Red Sox where he solidified his reputation as a pitcher (1914-1919), then signed with the New York Yankees (1920-1934) after proving his skill at hitting and converting to an outfielder. Ruth retired from baseball in 1934 after a brief time with the Boston Braves. 
 
Babe Ruth developed a rare and aggressive form of nasopharyngeal cancer in late 1946, which led Baseball Commissioner Albert B. “Happy” Chandler to declare April 27th “Babe Ruth Day.” The national holiday was intended for fans to unite in celebrating Babe Ruth and his legacy as a baseball player.

The central festivities of the first Babe Ruth Day were held at New York City’s Yankee Stadium, where Ruth briefly addressed the large crowd of almost 60,000 people despite his poor health. Ruth’s condition gradually worsened over the following year, and he died on August 16, 1948 at the age of 53. Babe Ruth Day continues to be observed, and some of the best ways to honor the “Sultan of Swat” are to play a game of catch, visit the batting cages, or watch a baseball game.

Image: Babe Ruth at bat, old Oriole Park, 1931, by Robert Kniesche. Maryland Center for History and Culture, H. Furlong Baldwin Library, Robert Kniesche Photograph Collection, PP79.40

#MDHistory #MarylandHistory #BaltimoreHistory #BabeRuth #BabeRuthDay #TheGreatBambino #MajorLeagueBaseball #Baltimore Orioles #OriolePark #NewYorkYankees #BostonBraves #BaseballHistory orioles

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## Tags

thegreatbambino, baseballhistory, newyorkyankees, mdhistory, marylandhistory, bostonbraves, onthisday, oriolepark, majorleaguebaseball, baltimore, baberuth, baltimorehistory, baberuthday

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