Jackie Robinson

He died of a heart attack at the age of 53 and his funeral was attended by thousands of people.

After his death, his wife established the ‘Jackie Robinson Foundation’ in 1973 with the aim of providing scholarships to minority youths for higher education.

Born to Jerry and Mallie Robinson, Jackie was the youngest of the five children in the family.

In 1920, after his father abandoned his family, they moved to Pasadena, California, where his mother took sundry jobs to sustain her family.

He graduated from Washington Junior High School in 1935. He was sent to the John Muir High School where his athletic talents were discovered. He excelled in most of the sports, especially football, basketball, track, and baseball.

After completing studies in John Muir, he attended the Pasadena Junior College from where he graduated in 1939. He was enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles and became its first student to win varsity letters in four sports - baseball, basketball, football, and track.

However, in 1941, he had to quit college, owing to financial difficulties and move to Hawaii, where he played soccer for the semi-professional Honolulu Bears.

Robinson was named the ‘Rookie of the Year’ in 1947 with a batting average of .297, 175 hits and 12 home runs.

In 1949, he earned the title of ‘Most Valuable Player’ for a batting average of .342.

He was inducted into the ‘Baseball Hall of Fame’ in 1962, becoming the first African-American to have earned this honor.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in America, on March 26, 1984, and the Congressional Gold Medal on March 2, 2005.

In April 1997, hi jersey number 42 was retired in his honor.

While serving the U.S. army, this baseball player who was the first African-American to play in the Major Leagues, faced court-martial for refusing to sit on the back of a bus.