April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day!
Jackie Robinson Day celebrates the day that Jackie Robinson, the first African American Major League Baseball player, made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers (today, the Los Angeles Dodgers) on April 15, 1947.
Jackie Robinson was responsible for breaking the color barrier within the Major League Baseball organization. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 for his outstanding contributions to the sport. His number, 42, was retired in 1997 and is the only number retired league-wide.
The first Jackie Robinson Day was celebrated on April 15, 2004 and the 2013 commemoration will mark the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s MLB debut. Each year on April 15, every player, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball wears the number 42. 42, a feature film in memorial of Jackie Robinson’s courageous journey into Major League Baseball, was released in theaters on April 12, 2013 starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford.