Today In History

Babe Ruth Soars to 60 Home Runs in 1927 September 30, 1927 Yankee Stadium Attendance 10,000 With one out in the eight inning, Babe Ruth swung and the crack of the bat was unmistakable. A hard liner trying to hook foul found the right field bleacher 10 feet fair for his 60th homerun, a milestone thought to be impossible. Tom Zachary pitching for the Washington Senators threw a wicked curve ball that will ensure his infamy in baseball’s history books. Babe made his triumphant, almost regal tour of the paths, touching each bag firmly and carefully. Hats were tossed in the air, papers were torn up, and the late season crowd celebrated the moment. The hit was a game winner in a 4 – 2 win. Pitching great Walter Johnson closed out his illustrious career the same game with a ninth inning pinch hitting appearance.

In 1903, the four brothers Albert, Sam, Harry, and Jack Warner began in the film business as traveling exhibitors, moving throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania with their portable projector. By 1907, they were operating the Cascade Theatre in New Castle, Pennsylvania, with Albert and Harry selling tickets, Sam ran the hand-crank projector while Jack sang “illustrated” songs during the intermissions to sister Rose's piano accompaniment. Within the year, they had opened two more theaters in New Castle. They soon realized that the large profits from movies would come not just from distribution and exhibition, but also from production, and they moved to California and established a small production base in Culver City. Their first full-scale picture, My Four Years in Germany, premiered in 1918 and grossed an amazing (for that time) $1.5 million. Later that year, they purchased property at 5842 Sunset Boulevard for $25,000, and the Warner Bros. West Coast Studios was born. They incorporated their fledgling movie company on April 4, 1923, and in 1924, they created the world's first “four-legged superstar,” Rin Tin Tin. In 1927 they released the world’s first “talkie,” The Jazz Singer, and set a tone of innovation and influence that would become synonymous with the name Warner Brothers.