Profile of the Day: Jackie Robinson

On this day in 1919, baseball legend Jackie Robinson was born.

Image: Jackie Robinson / Library of Congress

Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia to a family of share croppers. He was given the middle name “Roosevelt” in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, who had died 25 days before he was born. The youngest of five children, Robinson was not the only gifted athlete in his family. His brother, Matthew “Mack” Robinson, was an accomplished track and field athlete who won the silver medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He came in right behind Jesse Owens.

In 1947, Robinson made history when he broke the baseball color barrier and joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first black athlete to play Major League Baseball. He made his major league debut on April 15, 1947. Throughout his baseball career, Robinson played in six World Series, but only won one. In 1972, the Dodgers retired Robinson’s uniform number 42 and in 1997, the MLB retired his uniform number across all major league teams. Today the MLB celebrates April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day and players wear No. 42 in his honor.

View Jackie Robinson’s Geni Profile