On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th
career home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s legendary record of 714
homers. A crowd of 53,775 people, the largest in the history of
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, was with Aaron that night to
cheer when he hit a 4th inning pitch off the Los Angeles Dodgers’
Al Downing. However, as Aaron was an African American who
had received death threats and racist hate mail during his pursuit
of one of baseball’s most distinguished records, the achievement
was bittersweet.

Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors
(April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992)

Chuck Connors was an actor, writer, and professional
basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13
athletes in the history of American professional sports
to have played in both Major League Baseball (Brooklyn
Dodgers 1949, Chicago Cubs, 1951) and the National
Basketball Association (Boston Celtics 1947–48). With
a 40-year film and television career, he is best known for
his five-year role as Lucas McCain in the highly rated
ABC series The Rifleman (1958–63)

Connors died on November 10, 1992, at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 71 of lung
cancer.

Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron
(February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021)

Hank Aaron ("Hammer" or "Hammerin’ Hank"), was a pro
baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major
League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players
in history, he spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/
Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two
seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American
League (AL).

His 755 career home runs broke the long-standing MLB
record set by Babe Ruth and stood as the most for 33
years; Aaron still holds many other MLB batting records.

He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through
1973 and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home
runs in a season at least fifteen times. In 1982, he was
inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his
first year of eligibility.

ROSS SIMPSON

Sandy Koufax at age 36 became the youngest player elected to the 
Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. He has been hailed as one of the
greatest pitchers in baseball history.

  
Sandy Koufax Born: December 30, 1935 (age 86)