On this day, April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Jackie Robinson


Robinson with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954

Second baseman
Born: January 31, 1919; Cairo, Georgia, U.S.
Died: October 24, 1972 (aged 53); Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right

Professional debut
NgL: 1945, for the Kansas City Monarchs
MLB: April 15, 1947, for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Last MLB appearance: October 10, 1956, for the Brooklyn Dodgers

Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction: 1962
Vote: 77.5% (first ballot)

Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers signing Robinson heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

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[SheilaAnn]

1. I was in third grade in 1947 and there were maybe four black children in our class. This was a monumental event for

them, they smiled and laughed more and walked with a bit of a strut. We were all excited for them and for Robinson. It was quite a great time.