Editing Hank Aaron (section)

==Early life==
Aaron was born in [[Mobile, Alabama]], to Herbert Aaron Sr. and Estella (Pritchett) Aaron. His father worked as a [[shipyard]] [[riveter]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.013.370092 |title=Aaron, Hank |last=Evensen |first=Bruce J. |website=doi.org |publisher=[[American National Biography]] |access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref>	 He had seven siblings.<ref name="greatath">{{cite book |last1=Bily |first1=Cynthia A. |url=https://archive.org/details/greatathletes0000unse |title=Great Athletes |date=2002 |publisher=[[Grey House Publishing|Salem Press]] |isbn=978-1-58765-008-6 |editor1-last=Johnson |editor1-first=Rafer |edition=Revised |volume=1 |orig-date=1992 |url-access=registration}}</ref> [[Tommie Aaron]], one of his brothers, also went on to play [[Major League Baseball]]. By the time Aaron retired, he and his brother held the record for most career home runs by a pair of siblings (768).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Davids |first1=L. Robert |last2=Amman |first2=Larry |title=Baseball Brothers |url=http://research.sabr.org/journals/baseball-brothers/ |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] |quote=The home run record for brothers is held by Henry (755) and Tommie (13) Aaron.}}</ref>

While he was born in a section of Mobile referred to as "Down the Bay", he spent most of his youth in [[Toulminville]]. Aaron grew up in a poor family.<ref name="greatath" /> His family could not afford baseball equipment, so he practiced by hitting bottle caps with sticks. He would create his own bats and balls out of materials he found on the streets.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nemec|first=David|title=Players of Cooperstown: Baseball's Hall of Fame|publisher=Publications International|location=Cooperstown, New York|date=1994|isbn=978-0785308768}}</ref> His boyhood idol was baseball star [[Jackie Robinson]].<ref>{{cite news |date=April 1, 1974 |title=Jackie Robinson Aaron's boyhood idol |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19740401&id=jfNOAAAAIBAJ&pg=4106,282900&hl=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311103226/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19740401&id=jfNOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FgIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4106,282900&hl=en |archive-date=March 11, 2016 |access-date=February 6, 2016 |work=[[The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)|Toledo Blade]] |via=[[Google News Archive]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> Aaron attended Central High School as a [[Ninth grade|freshman]] and a [[Tenth grade|sophomore]].{{efn|Now the Dunbar Creative and Performing Arts Magnet School, 500 St. Anthony St., Mobile. In 1955 Central High School and Dunbar Jr. High School switched locations; Central High closed in 1970 following desegregation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=111386 |title=Dunbar/Central High School|work=The Historical Marker Database |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125104944/https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=111386 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mcpss.com/ourschools#lightbox |title=Dunbar Creative And Performing Arts Magnet School |access-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127005507/https://www.mcpss.com/ourschools#lightbox |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} Like most high schools, they did not have organized baseball, so he played [[outfield]] and [[third base]] for the [[Mobile Black Bears]], a semipro team.<ref name="Allen">{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Bob |url=https://archive.org/details/500homerunclubba0000alle |title=The 500 Home Run Club: From Aaron to Williams |last2=Gilbert |first2=Bill |date=1999 |publisher=[[Skyhorse Publishing|Sports Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-58261-031-3 |location=Champaign, Illinois |url-access=registration}}</ref> Aaron was a member of the [[Boy Scouts of America]].

Although he batted cross-handed (as a right-handed hitter, with his left hand above his right), Aaron established himself as a power hitter. As a result, in 1949, at the age of 15, Aaron had his first tryout with an MLB franchise, the [[Los Angeles Dodgers#Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn Dodgers]]; however, he did not make the team.<ref name="br33" /> After this, Aaron returned to school to finish his secondary education, attending the Josephine Allen Institute, a private high school in Alabama. During his [[Eleventh grade|junior year]], Aaron joined the Prichard Athletics, an independent [[Negro league baseball|Negro league]] team,<ref name="nlpr">{{cite web
| url = http://www.negrosouthernleaguemuseumresearchcenter.org/Portals/0/Birmingham%20Player%20Profiles/A-B.pdf
| title = Negro League Player Register
| access-date = January 23, 2021
| website = Negro Southern League Museum Research Center
| page = 1
| archive-date = April 25, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210425225157/http://www.negrosouthernleaguemuseumresearchcenter.org/Portals/0/Birmingham%20Player%20Profiles/A-B.pdf
| url-status = live
}}</ref> followed by the Mobile Black Bears, another independent Negro league team.<ref name="greatath" /> While on the Bears, Aaron earned $3 per game (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|3|1951|r=-1}}}} today), which was a dollar more than he got while on the Athletics.<ref name="br33">[[#Bryant|Bryant]], p. 33.</ref>