1918: The Curse of the Bambino!

Hello, Steemit world! My name is John Smith (yes, I know), and I’m extremely excited to join your community!

I study public history at Temple University where I also work in the school’s library on digitization projects. With quite a few Temple students working on the @phillyhistory initiative, you may be asking yourself, “what’s so great about Temple U?” Well, I’m glad you asked! Temple’s library and special collections offer incredible resources for studying the past. The Special Collections Research Center collects items that document the social history of Philadelphia. For those interested in the #explore1918 challenge, may I suggest browsing this collection of World War One posters? I often find myself searching through this collection when I should be working.

Speaking of 1918, I’m also a devote New York Yankees fan and follow baseball religiously. For those who don’t already know, the year 1918 was a special year for the Yankees. Although the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees’ archrival, beat the Chicago Cubs and won the World Series, they would never win another championship for eighty-six years. Many, including myself, believe that the following year, the Red Sox were perpetually cursed when they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees. (Yes, Babe Ruth...The Sultan of Swat...The King of Crash...The Colossus of Clout…The Great Bambino...BABE RUTH!) In 15 years with the Yankees, the Babe became a baseball icon and helped the team win four World Series championships.


Babe Ruth with the Boston Red Sox in 1918.


Babe Ruth with the New York Yankees in 1920.

Between 1919 and 2003, the Boston Red Sox never won another World Series, and during the same span, the Yankees won twenty-six championships. Some of my fondest memories include traveling to the old Yankee Stadium when the Red Sox were in town and joining the crowd in demeaning chants of “1918.” I remember vividly Game Seven of the 2003 American League Championship Series between the Yankees and Red Sox. Before coming in to pitch, Roger Clemens paid his respects to the Babe Ruth monument in the outfield...the Yankees went on to win in extra innings. The world was a better place before the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and “broke the curse.”

Moving forward, I promise not to let my emotional attachment to the year 1918 prevent me from writing non-baseball related reflections. Since this was an introduction, however, I felt obliged to discuss the glorious 1918 Curse of the Bambino.

^{100% of the SBD rewards from this #explore1918 post will support the Philadelphia History initiative @phillyhistory. This crypto-experiment is part of a graduate course at Temple University's Center for Public History and is exploring history and empowering education to endow meaning. To learn more click here.}