Jackie Robinson (1919 - 1972) broke Major League Baseball's "Colour Barrier" in 1947. The formal beginning of segregation in baseball began in the 1867 season when a "colored" team, Pythian Baseball Club, was denied admission in the Pennsylvania State Convention of Baseball in Harrisburg. 
The National League had no black players in the 19th century except for recently discovered William Edward White, who played one game in 1879. The American Association had two black players who played for the Toledo
Blue Stockings in 1884 for a few months. Fleet Walker and Weldy Walker were the last two black players to play int he Major Leagues until Jackie Robinson in 1947.
Blue Stockings in 1884 for a few months. Fleet Walker and Weldy Walker were the last two black players to play int he Major Leagues until Jackie Robinson in 1947.
Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) and batted .297. He was the stolen bases leader and selected as Rookie of the Year. The Dodgers won the National League pennant that year.
In 1997, Major League Baseball retired his number across all Major League teams. The first professional league to do so. Robinson's number 42 is retired. The National Hockey League was the next league to retire a number for all National League Hockey teams in 2000, when they declared that Wayne Gretzky's number 99 would no longer be worn by any player.
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