On January 31, 1919 Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia
1920 – His mother decided to leave Georgia and moved to Pasadena, California where Jackie was raised
1937 – He enrolled in Pasadena Junior College
1939 – Robinson entered the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), lettering in four sports
1940 – Jackie Robinson won the NCAA broad jump title
1941 – Played professional football for the Honolulu Bears, a semi-professional football team
1942 – Jackie Robinson was drafted into the Army
1943 – Private Robinson was commissioned as a second lieutenant
1944 – He was honourably discharged in November 1944 following an ankle injury
1945 – Robinson begins baseball career with Kansas City Monarchs, a negro team and was then recruited by Branch Rickey to play for minor league Montreal Royals
1946 – Robinson married Rachel Isum, a nursing student he had met at UCLA
1947 – Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier becoming the first black player on major league team (Brooklyn Dodgers). Despite considerable racial abuse, Jackie was named 'Rookie of the Year' and featured on the cover of Time magazine
1949 – Named the National League's Most Valuable Player
1956 – Jackie Robinson he was traded to the New York Giants, but decides to retire from major league baseball
1950's & 1960's – He became a vocal supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. and the NAACP
1962 – Robinson inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
October 24, 1972 – Jackie Robinson died of a heart attack (aged 53) in Stamford, Connecticut
Jackie Robinson news reel footage:
