February is Black History Month so Kidzworld is saluting some of America's greatest athletes. Read on to find out about Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens and other African American sports pioneers.
Black History - Jesse Owens 2m3h5y
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens became an American hero after an amazing performance at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, . At the time, was ruled by Adolph Hitler who absurdly believed that blacks, Asians and other races were inferior to whites. Jessie proved how wrong Hitler's racist ideas were by winning the gold medal in the long jump, the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. He took home a fourth gold medal by running the opening leg for the US team that won the 4x100-meter relay. Jesse was nicknamed the World's Fastest Man and, in 1976, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom - the highest award a US citizen can receive.
Black History - Jackie Robinson 2t51u
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play professional sports.
Black History - Althea Gibson 45s62
Althea Gibson
Long before New York.
Black History - Willie O'Ree 2u3o1r
Willie O'Ree
Willie O'Ree made history when he stepped on the ice to play for the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958. Willie was the first African American to play in the the NHL, including [kwlink]All-Star[/kwlink] Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames.
Black History - Muhammad Ali 1f2l6y
Muhammed Ali
Muhammad Ali called himself The Greatest and he lived up to that name by being the first boxer to win the heavyweight title three times. Ali won his first title as Cassius Clay (his birth name) in 1964 by defeating Sonny Liston. Shortly after the fight, he became a religious beliefs. He regained the title in 1974 by defeating George Foreman in Zaire in the famous Rumble in the Jungle. He snagged the title again in '78 after defeating Leon Spinks. He retired in 1981 and now raises money and awareness for Parkinson's Disease, which he suffers from.
Black History - Vonetta Flowers 6z6l19
Vonetta Flowers
Olympic bobsledder - made history at the 2002 Winter Olympics by becoming the first black athlete to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics. Vonetta's gold medal will hopefully inspire future black athletes to become more involved in winter sports.
Have Your Say 27211o
Did we miss anyone? Let us know who we should add to the list!
