In what state was Jackie Robinson born?

Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia. He was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, a small city in southwestern Georgia near the Florida border.

Robinson was the youngest of five children in a family of sharecroppers. After his father left the family in 1920, his mother, Mallie Robinson, moved with the children to Pasadena, California. Robinson therefore grew up primarily in California, which can cause confusion about his birthplace.

In Pasadena, Robinson faced racial discrimination but became a standout athlete at John Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College. He later attended UCLA, where he excelled in baseball, football, basketball, and track. His Georgia birthplace remained part of the historical record even though his education, early athletic development, and later professional career were centered in California and elsewhere.