What are 5 facts about Jackie Robinson?

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era.

Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, Cairo, Georgia, United States and died on October 24, 1972, North Stamford, Stamford, Connecticut, United States.

However, below are 5 facts you may not know about Jackie Robinson;

1. Jackie Robinson was a good friend of boxer Joe Louis during his time in the Army.

Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Jackie Robinson was drafted into the Army and assigned to a cavalry unit at Fort Riley, Kansas.

While in basic training, Jackie Robinson struck up a warm friendship with fellow recruit and champion boxer Joe “the Brown Bomber” Louis, who had famously bested the German Max Schmeling during a politically charged bout in 1938.

2. Jackie Robinson didn’t play baseball between age 21 and 26.

3. In the summer of 1949, Jackie Robinson was unexpectedly called to speak before the House Un-American Activities Committee—the Congressional board that conducted inquiries into the activities of suspected communist sympathizers and subversives.

4. Jackie Robinson often received death threats against himself and his family, but in 1951 the danger seemed so imminent that the Feds were called in to investigate.

5. Jackie Robinson starred in a Hollywood movie which was based on his life story.