1919–1972

Jackie Robinson was one of the great stars of the Brooklyn Dodgers: in the course of 1,382 games he batted .311, stole 197 bases, and played in six World Series. He also became the first black player to gain recognition for playing in the major leagues when he was recruited to the Dodgers in 1947. His stand against bigotry was firm and courageous; he refused to play football for the army during World War II (despite being threatened with court martial) because of the racist conditions that existed there. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, named one of the most influential Americans of the 20th century by Life magazine in 1990, and in 1997 he was the first and only player to have his number, 42, retired by Major League Baseball.