Henry Louis Aaron

With $1.50 in his pocket, two changes of clothes and one dream, this is Hank Aaron leaving Mobile, Alabama to join the Indy Clowns in 1952. He was 18.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali once called Hank Aaron “The only man I idolize more than myself ” and in 1970, Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle said “As far as I’m concerned, Aaron is the best baseball player of my era. He is to baseball the last 15 years what Joe DiMaggio was before him. He’s never received the credit he’s due.”

Hank Aaron grew from humble beginnings in Mobile, Alabama, passed through the sandlots with brief stops in the Negro Leagues and the minor leagues before he settled in with the Braves where he ultimately became one of baseball’s most iconic figures. He was a consistent producer both at the plate and in the field, reaching the .300 mark in batting 14 times, 30 home runs 15 times, 90 RBI 16 times and captured three Gold Glove Awards en-route to 25 All-Star appearances. Phillies and Cardinals pitcher Curt Simmons said “Trying to sneak a pitch past Hank Aaron is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster.”

Negro Leagues Museum; baseballhall.org;