Jackie Robinson became the first African-American professional athlete to play in Major League Baseball on April 15, 1947. He was prominently featured in the film “42.” In 1997, in his honor, his jersey number, 42, was retired by all teams: he was the first athlete in any sport to be so honored. Since April 15, 2004, every player has worn jersey number 42 only on April 15th of each year.
