Jackie Robinson
Changed MLB Forever
The Year 1947
Jackie Robinson made history when he broke baseball's color barrier by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Despite his skill and success, Jackie faced an excessive amount of insults and threats because of his race. Robinson's courage and grace with which he handled such abusive situations is what inspired a generation of African-Americans to question the meaning of "separate but equal" and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement.
Robinson's Accomplishments
He won the National League Rookie of the Year award his very first season and helped the Dodgers to the National League Championship- the first of his SIX trips to the World Series. After many awards, Robinson was admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Jackie Robinson died October 24th, 1972, nine days after his World Series Appearance. He died of a heart attack in North Stamford, Connecticut. He was only 53 years old.