George Herman Ruth's Impact On The 1920s

Throughout the 1920’s, well known as the roaring ‘20s, there were several different historical figures that all influenced their time and modern time as well. They all range from positive impacts to negative impacts; in the case of George Herman Ruth, it was a positive impact to the United States. Regardless, his impact on the culture of the 1920s was second to none.

On the 6th of February 1895 the famous Babe was born in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of seven he was admitted to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, here is where he was introduced to Brother Matthias Boutlier a mentor to the young boy. Boutlier was a proficient ball player, and this is where Babe was introduced to baseball. Signing in 1914 at the age of 19, he began his

Whilst on the Boston Red Sox he was eager to play all the time, so he began a journey playing in the outfield as well. Being able to always be on the field and playing he was able to break the single season homerun record in the year 1919 with 29 homeruns. Throughout his career he played with the Red Sox, Yankees, and finally to end off his career with the Braves. Being so talented, he was in the spotlight of baseball in the 1920s and received plenty of attention on and off the field. On the field he was known as The Great Bambino, but the media was heavily focused on what he did while off the field. Like many people who rise to fame so quickly his actions off the field were not as astounding, he was caught drinking which was illegal at the time due to prohibition as well as public statements of him being a womanizer.

On both sides there were people who created humongous cultural impact, but Babe Ruth takes the crown as the most culturally significant figure in the 1920s. To begin, his childhood and upbringing gave many an inspiration. With his parents being German immigrants, he already had a disadvantage due to the nationwide Red Scare crisis. Not only was he born into a family of immigrants Ruth was known as a delinquent to his family and the people around him due to him being in the streets, skipping school, and drinking at a young age. When he was placed in St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys he was deemed not able to be corrected. Throughout his years in attendance, he became proficient in some trades and became more mature and civil. But when Brother Matthias Boutlier introduced him to baseball, Babe knew what he wanted his future to be. From the beginning he was a standout athlete and was exceptional at baseball. From there the rest was history for him. This story gave many young immigrants, especially children, hope for their future. Following this Ruth revitalized the sport of baseball. During this time baseball was a ‘dying sport’, this didn’t mean that it was going away it just meant that it was losing popularity. The regular viewer believed it to be boring and long, as well as the negative image brought by the Black Sox cheating scandal in 1919. When the dual threat Babe Ruth