Babe Ruth: The Life and Baseball Career of The Great Bambino

A turbulent childhood and an iconic baseball legend

George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born in 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. The home he was born in is now a Babe Ruth museum, so if you’re ever in Baltimore you may want to check it out.

The Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore, Maryland (image via baberuthmuseum.org)

As a child, Ruth and his family spoke German around the house, as his grandparents were immigrants from Germany. Ruth’s dad, after working a string of jobs, eventually opened a family-owned grocery/saloon business.

Babe Ruth tending bar with his dad (image via baberuthmuseum.org)

At the age of 7, Ruth’s parents sent him to a reform school that doubled as an orphanage. The reason for this decision is unknown for sure, but it is rumored that Ruth had little supervision during his early years and he became quite a wild and uncontrollable kid, so his parents decided to ship him off to an extremely strict boarding school for troublemakers.

Babe Ruth as a child

Ruth’s years before being shipped off to reform school did involve some street baseball, and it has been…