26 years ago today, Ken Griffey Jr. changed the world with his first career homer

When mankind eventually discovers the ability to both travel through time and also collect and display life experiences in a museum, one of their first stops will surely be April 10, 1989. For on that day, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his first career home run. 

Originally not expected to make the team out of Spring Training, Griffey's .360 spring batting average and a swing made out of the Platonic forms of goodness that give shape and form to our earthly existence, the 19-year-old kid forced his way onto the Major League roster. 

Not that it would necessarily be easy. Even the gods have to struggle. After lacing a double in his first Major League at-bat:

Junior went 1-for-his-next-18 before stepping in against the White Sox's Eric King. With one mighty swing, the center fielder hit number one. (Oddly enough, it was also King's birthday.)

According to future time travelers and people who once saw "The Butterfly Effect" on an airplane, the homer had massive effects felt around the world.

Some say that the ball traveling over the fence was the inspiration to knock down the Berlin Wall in November of that year.

Some believe that his blast was enough to convince Warner Bros. that superheroes were real and so they released "Batman," instead of cutting it up and calling it "Rich Guy Goes Nuts -- You Won't Believe What Happened Next."

Still others claim that without Junior's home run, Taylor Swift would never grow up to release the pop album "1989," instead focusing on her fledgling pottery career. 

Of course, because this is Griffey we're talking about, he hit his second career home run the next night off of Shawn Hillegas. And would go on to play every position -- at once.