Babe Ruth Day -- June 13, 2023

>Saint Louis Globe-Democrat, 15-June-1948

In honor of the 25th anniversaries of Yankee Stadium and the Yankees win the 1923 World Series against the New York Giants, the team celebrated Babe Ruth Day. The Giants won the World Series in 1921 and 1922. 

Surviving members of the 1923 Yankees gathered to celebrate their greatest player. The team retired Babe's Jersey, number three, and preserved his old locker. Babe had been sick with cancer for two years. He died in August. 

New York Herald, 13-November-1921

The Babe was a cultural phenomenon. Here we see him performing at vaudeville's most famous theater, the Palace.

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1920

"The Great American Personality." Ruth starred in a feature film, Headin' Home. I have seen the movie and enjoyed it, but Babe was not much of an actor. Ruth played a cameo part in Harold Lloyd's Speedy.

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In 1927, Ruth starred in the feature Babe Comes Home. The movie is presumed to be lost.

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In 1942, Babe played his best role, himself, in Pride of the Yankees, a biography of Ruth's teammate Lou Gehrig.

Happy Independence Day 2014 -- July 4, 2014

Happy Fourth of July to all.
A poster from World War One celebrates the holiday in 1918. 

Seventy-five years ago, on 04-July-1939, Lou Gehrig made his last public speech, after he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  He said "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

I was sad to learn of the passing of Louis Zamperini, an American hero.  He ran in the 1936 Olympics.  He served in the US Army Air Forces during World War II, flying B-24s in the Pacific.  While searching for lost airmen, his plane crashed because of mechanical problems.  He drifted in a raft with two other survivors of the crash.  One died, but the Zamperini and the other drifted for 47 days until they reached the Marianas.  The Japanese captured them and Zamperini was treated brutally because he was famous.  Despite this, after the war he talked to people about forgiveness.