Friday is Jackie Robinson Day, and while most of us recognize him as the first black Major League Baseball player, he also did other notably badass things you may not know about.
The Brooklyn Dodgers first put Robinson on the field on April 15, 1947—exactly 69 years ago. In 1962, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
But the path to fame wasn't an easy road for the second baseman, who faced—and fought—racist backlash from baseball fans, the U.S. government, and even his own teammates along the way.
Here are three facts you may not have heard about the baseball star: