Jackie Roosevelt 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 baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.
Jackie Robinson: Quotes| Hall of Fame| Wife| Life events| Parents| Childhood
Quotes:
Jackie Robinson: 7 memorable quotes
“Nobody wants to quit when he’s losing; nobody wants you to quit when you’re ahead.” “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… all I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” “It kills me to lose.
Hall of fame:
“No. 42 blazed a trail that would light the way for people of every walk of life and every color and, to this very day, every generation,” Washington continued. “That inspiration, that profound impact looms just as large today as it did 75 years ago.”
On top of celebrating Robinson, Dodger Stadium also celebrated his wife Rachel’s 100th birthday, which coincidentally was on Tuesday. Dodgers star Mookie Betts led the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” to Rachel.
Wife:
Life events:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1942 | Jackie joined the army He fought in World War 2, where he was eventually honorably discharged. |
| 1945 | Jackie joined the Kansas City Monarchs This was a Negro American League baseball team. From there he was drafted by the Montreal Royals, and then signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers |
Parents:
In May 1920 Robinson’s mother decided to leave Georgia altogether and took a train to Pasadena, California, where her half brother lived. She worked as a maid to support her children, and they remained poor.
Childhood:
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, into a family of sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children born to Mallie (McGriff) and Jerry Robinson, after siblings Edgar, Frank, Matthew (nicknamed “Mack”), and Willa Mae.
His middle name was in honor of former President Theodore Roosevelt, who died 25 days before Robinson was born. After Robinson’s father left the family in 1920, they moved to Pasadena, California.
