George Herman Ruth, Jr. was better known as "The Babe" to his fans. Other nicknames he answered to were "The Sultan of Swat" and "The Bambino." Hving played in the major league from 1914 to 1935, he has been named the greatest baseball player in history in numerous rankings. His record of hitting 60 home runs in a single season stood for 34 years, from 1927 until 1961, when it was broken by Roger Maris. His lifetime record of 714 homers stood from 1935 until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974, 39 years later. He was loved by his fans, and is credited with making the game popular. In 1999, he was ranked by ESPN as the third greatest American athlete of the 20th century, behind Michael Jordan and Muhammid Ali.