Jackie Robinson

We’re one Jackie Robinson away from opening day! - Raw Chili

Jackie Robinson pictured in 1949 by artist Graig Kreindler, my son's favorite artist. Jack says "behind him the world is dark and shadowy, but it gets brighter with each step he takes"-Jack Caldwell 11yrs old

Black baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson wrote that he couldn't sing the anthem or salute the flag because "I know that I am a black man in a white world."

Explore Jared Enos' 210 photos on Flickr!

Jackie Robinson was the first Black baseball player to play in the American major leagues during the 20th century. He famously broke the color line of Major League Baseball (MLB) when he appeared on the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. A baseball icon, his jersey number, 42, was retired across MLB in 1997.

Who are the most influential figures in American history? We asked <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/12/panelist-biographies/5388/">10 eminent historians</a>. The result, collected here, is <i>The Atlantic</i>’s 100 picks. (More on America’s most influential filmmakers, musicians, critics, architects, and poets—and how we put these lists together—below.)

Explore the seminal moments in the lifetime of Jackie Robinson, the man who changed history on the ball field and beyond.

The man, the athlete, the game changer.