George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born in 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents, George Sr. and Kate, ran a saloon, worked long hours and had little time to care for their children. By the age of seven, George Jr. was roaming the local docks and getting into trouble. His parents, deciding they were unable to care for him, left him at the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys in 1902. While at St. Mary's, George came under the guidance of Brother Mathias and started to play baseball. He left the orphanage at the age of 19 after being signed by the Baltimore Orioles. Nicknamed "Babe" in his rookie year, Ruth went on to become one of the greatest home-run hitters in baseball history.
Norma Jeane Baker, later known as the movie star Marilyn Monroe, was born in Los Angeles in 1926. Her mother Gladys suffered from emotional problems, and so Norma Jeane was placed with foster parents at a young age. In 1935 she was sent to live at the Los Angeles Orphans Home Society in Hollywood. For the next two years, she was sent to nine separate foster homes, living at the orphanage during the times between. Norma Jeane left the orphanage in 1937 to live in a series of foster homes, before marrying at the age of 16.
The jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong was born in 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father left the family when Louis was a baby. He lived off and on with his mother, who worked at times as a prostitute, and with other family members. At the age of 12, he was sent to the Colored Waifs School for Boys after shooting his stepfather's pistol into the air on New Year's Eve. During his two-year stay at the orphanage, Louis started to play the cornet seriously, eventually becoming leader of the orphanage band that played local venues.
Malcolm Little was born in 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, the fourth of seven children. After his family moved to Lansing, Michigan, his father was killed in a suspicious streetcar accident in 1931. His mother subsequently had a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized. The children were split up, and Malcolm lived in a series of foster homes and orphanages until he moved to Boston in 1941 to live with his sister. After time spent in prison as a young adult, he converted to Islam, changed his name to Malcolm X, and went on to become one of the most influential African American leaders in history.