Jack Roosevelt Robinson, also known as Jackie Robinson, was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Robinson broke the color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

Born in Cairo, Georgia, Robinson was raised in Pasadena, California. A four sport student athlete at Pasadena Junior College and the University of California, Los Angeles. Robinson was drafted for service during World War II, eventually being honorably discharged. Afterwards, he signed with the Kansas City Monarchs from where he caught the eye of Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who thought he would be the perfect candidate for breaking the color line in Major League Baseball.

Robinson won Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, he was also an All-Star for six consecutive seasons and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949. Robinson played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers’ 1955 World Series championship. In 1997, Major League Baseball retired his uniform.

He influenced the culture of the civil rights movement. Robinson also was the first black television analyst in MLB and the first black vice president of a major American corporation. After his death in 1972, Robinson was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his achievements on and off the field of baseball.