Williams (Ted) is born in San Diego.

The son of a white father and Mexican-American mother, Ted Williams plays his first game for the Boston Red Sox in 1939,* and for most of his career lives at the Hotel Somerset. Williams’ goal, he later says, was to make people say, “There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.” Despite missing nearly five seasons to serving as a Marine fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War, he goes on to amass career batting statistics to make that case. During that time, he engages in a strained relationship with local sportswriters and is somewhat cool toward fans, even in his last game in 1960.* Also an expert fisherman, Williams dies in Inverness, Florida, on July 5, 2002. His remains are stored in a cryogenic laboratory in Arizona.