Jackie Robinson was born January 31, 1919. Graduating from UCLA, he began to play baseball with the Kansas City Monarchs. When Branch Rickey decided to pioneer in hiring Black baseball players, he hired Robinson on October 23, 1945.

On April 18, 1946 he made his debut in Jersey City as second baseman for the Montreal Royals. The next season Jackie moved up to the National League as first baseman.

In 1947, the Dodgers won the pennant and did so five more times in the following ten years. In 1949, he was chosen as the National League's Most Valuable Player, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Jackie Robinson died on October 24, 1972.

Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy, Jules Tygiel. Oxford University Press, 1997.
First in the Field: Baseball Hero Jackie Robinson, Derek T. Dingle. Disney Press, 1998.
Great Time Coming: The Life of Jackie Robinson, from Baseball to Birmingham, David Falkner. Touchstone Books, 1996.
I Never Had It Made: An Autobiography, Jackie Robinson. Ecco Press, 1997.
Jackie Robinson: A Biography, Arnold Rampersad and Jackie Rampersad. Knopf, 1997.
Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson, Barry Denenberg. Scholastic Paperbacks, 1997.
Search for 'Jackie Robinson' on Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.

Black Baseball's Negro Baseball Leagues

The Jackie Robinson Society

Players and Pioneers

A tribute to Jackie Robinson [RealAudio]

ABC News Nightline: Jackie Robinson (1987). VHS, 58 minutes.

Biography: Jackie Robinson (1987). VHS, 50 minutes.

Biography: Jackie Robinson (2000). DVD.

Jackie Robinson (1992). VHS, 30 minutes.

Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers (1997). VHS, 60 minutes.

Jackie Robinson: Sports Legend (1997). VHS.

The Jackie Robinson Story (1950). DVD, 76 minutes.

The Jackie Robinson Story (1950). VHS, 76 minutes.

The Life of Jackie Robinson (2000). DVD, 76 minutes.