Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman who became the first African American to play in the major leagues in the modern era. (Wikipedia, 2016). His first game in the major leagues was April 15, 1947. On that day he started at first base and it marked that day as one of the most historical days in baseball history. Jackie played baseball for 10 seasons, was rookie of the year in 1947, played in 6 All Star games and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. His significance on the game is so great that on April 15th every player today wears the number 42 for one game in recognition of all that he accomplished for the game. His number 42 is also retired by all …show more content…
It is the only number in baseball you cannot wear. His nonviolent approach to breaking down a racial barrier was instrumental to the Civil Rights Movement.
What I learned while researching this famous historical figure is that he served in the Army before pursuing a career in baseball. While he was in the Army Jackie had to deal with racial discrimination just like most all other African American men and women. In 1942, Robinson was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army cavalry unit in Fort Riley, KS. He was then reassigned to Fort Hood, Tx when an event on July 6, 1944 derailed Jackie’s military career. While awaiting results of hospital tests on the ankle he had injured in junior college, Robinson boarded an Army bus with a fellow officer's wife; although the Army had commissioned its own unsegregated bus line, the bus driver ordered Robinson to move to the back of the bus. Robinson refused. The driver backed down, but after reaching the end of the line, summoned the