#42 Jackie Robinson

April 15, 1947 would change baseball and the nation forever. On this day Jackie Robinson wearing the number 42 uniform would walk onto Ebbets Field ready to play ball. A victory for civil rights, a large cultural shift if not a shock and the beginning of a journey that would change many. The Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman was not any ordinary baseball player.

Jackie Robinson Day is marked each year in Major League Baseball. Honoring Jackie Robinson and his major league debut on April 15, 1947 started in 2004. The day is celebrated for becoming the first black major league baseball player. He debuted opening day with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended 80 years of baseball segregation. The baseball color line or barrier had been in place with leagues of black men playing on teams of their own.