As a teenager sheltering from the rain outside a Washington, D.C. restaurant, Henry Aaron listened to staff smash every plate his Black team had eaten from. This deep dive goes far beyond the stats to explore a man who faced unimaginable pressure and systemic racism while maintaining almost unbelievable dignity.

Aaron’s life serves as a lens on the broader American civil rights struggle of the 20th century.

• Taught himself hand-eye coordination by hitting bottle caps with sticks in impoverished Mobile, Alabama, developing an unorthodox cross-handed grip.
• Signed with the Braves over the Giants for just $50 more a month, routing him into the deeply segregated Jim Crow South.
• Was renamed Hank by a public relations department that feared Henry sounded too formal.
• Received nearly a million pieces of mail, much of it death threats, while chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1973 and 1974.
• Hit home run number 715 on April 8, 1974, and finished with 755 home runs and a still-standing RBI record, his mother shielding him as he rounded the bases.