On This Day: Hank Aaron becomes the home run king

With the NBA, MLB, NHL and other major sports leagues and sporting events suspended or canceled, on a daily basis, we will revisit some of the most unforgettable games and sports moments in history. Welcome to On This Day.

Before Barry Bonds became the home run king, that crown belonged to the great Hank Arron.

And on April 8, 1974, ‘Hammerin’ Hank’ became a legend.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American player to be signed to a Major League Baseball team, making it possible for the likes of Aaron and Bonds to follow in his footsteps.

Nearly 30 years after Robinson’s signing, Aaron did the unthinkable, hitting his 715th career home run to move past Babe Ruth and into the top spot in baseball’s most prestigious statistical category.

During his run to the record, Aaron received multiple death threats from fans who didn’t want him to surpass Ruth as the greatest home run hitter of all-time.

Some even believed that Aaron could be assassinated upon breaking Ruth’s record.

In a 2011 interview with David Letterman, Aaron tells the story of police officers accompanying him for the two years prior to him breaking the record due to the threats he’d been receiving.

Aaron would end his career with 755 home runs.

Bonds broke the record in 2007 with this swing, his 756th homer.