Thursday's Google Doodle celebrates the 94th birthday of African-American baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947.
Robinson was born to sharecroppers in Cairo, Ga. in 1919. He lettered in four sports in college at the University of California, Los Angeles, before being drafted into the Army during World War II.
While training to become an officer, Robinson refused to move to the back of a bus while on base. Army regulations did not require him to, but the bus driver insisted and reported him to Army officials, and he was transferred and then court-martialed. While he was acquitted by an all-white panel, the proceedings kept him from joining his tank battalion overseas, so he never saw combat during the war.
After an honorable discharge from the military, Robinson joined the Negro leagues, the all-black baseball league, as African-Americans were barred from playing in the Major Leagues.
Brooklyn Dodgers club president Branch Rickey was looking for a black player to integrate the club, and he selected Robinson after meeting with him for hours and determining he could take the abuse that would be heaped on him from players and fans.
"Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?" Robinson reportedly asked Rickey.
Rickey replied he needed a Negro player "with guts enough not to fight back."
Robinson debuted with the Dodgers in 1947. He suffered verbal abuse from Dodgers players and opposing teams, and many players sought to injure him during play, hoping to end his career.
However, Robinson's stoic demeanor and skills on the field won the respect of his teammates, particularly after management sided with Robinson and Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman unleashed a vitriolic tirade against both Robinson and the entire club.
Robinson won Rookie of the Year in his first season. In all he played 10 seasons with the Dodgers, helping them win the World Series in 1955.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 and became a sports analyst, civil rights activist and corporate vice-president.
He died from a heart attack in 1972. In 1997, Major League baseball retired his jersey number, 42, for all teams, the first time any major American sports league has done so. The exception is April 15, when all players and personnel are invited to wear number 42, in honor of "Jackie Robinson Day," the anniversary of his breaking of the color barrier.
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