With the end of WWII, big changes came to baseball. The debut of Jackie Robinson in 1947 marked the acceptance of African American players for the first time since the late 19th century. Meanwhile, the game exploded in popularity, and attendance records were smashed in 1946 as fans poured into ballparks. This display of images captures baseball during its most transformative era. New stars appeared on the horizon like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle — and the next generation embraced them as its new heroes. Included here below is a photo of Robinson that was taken moments before his major league debut at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, along with images of Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Connie Mack, Honus Wagner and Frank Robinson as a rookie, along with five different poses of Satchel Paige.