Sports and race have been bedfellows for at least a century in the United States, from Jack Johnson to LeBron James and all things in between. This selection of photos will give you the information you need about race and sports in America, so try not to miss it.

Check them out for more information and start to see our world through photos!

July 1910:

Jack Johnson had become boxing’s first black heavyweight champion with a 1908 win over Tommy Burns, but many dismissed the title as hollow since previous champ James J Jeffries had walked away undefeated. That set the stage for the Fight of the Century between Johnson and Jeffries, who was coaxed out of retirement and put forth as the Great White Hope capable of restoring the natural order. Johnson had different ideas. Amid unprecedented racial tension nationwide, the flashy Galveston Giant dominated his faded opponent until Jeffries’ corner threw in the towel during the 15th round.

Photograph: Anonymous/AP

August 1936:

Jesse Owens, center, on top of the podium for the long jump – one of his four golds at the 1936 Olympics – as Germany’s Lutz Long, right, gives the Nazi salute. Owens’s victories are seen as a blow to the Nazi myth of white supremacy, although America was rife with racism of its own at the time and Owens found it hard to find work on his return home.

Photograph: Associated Press

April 1947:

Jackie Robinson becomes the first black player to appear in the majors in baseball’s modern era. Robinson went on to make baseball’s hall of fame although he suffered discrimination from fans, teammates and opponents.

Photograph: Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

August 1963:

Althea Gibson crossed the boundaries into not one but two sports dominated by the white elite. She was the first black woman to win Wimbledon and followed her tennis career by becoming the first African American to join the LPGA Tour, playing the first of 171 tournaments in 1963 before earning full membership the next year. Courses around the US often refused to let her compete due to her race.

Photograph: Ron Burton/Getty Images

October 1968:

Tommie Smith and John Carlos (right) raise their fists during the playing of the US national anthem at the 1968 Olympics. ‘We were concerned about the lack of black assistant coaches. About how Muhammad Ali got stripped of his title. About the lack of access to good housing and our kids not being able to attend the top colleges,’ Smith said of the gesture.

Photograph: STF/AP

September 1970:

Muhammad Ali walks through the streets of New York with members of the Black Panther Party. In 1967, Ali was sentenced to five years in prison and his championship title revoked after he was convicted of draft evasion upon his refusal to serve in Vietnam. The decision was overturned in 1971 but Ali became a figurehead of resistance. ‘Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and … drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?’ he said.

Photograph: David Fenton/Getty Images

January 1998:

Venus Williams was 10 and Serena was nine when their father and coach first proclaimed his eldest daughter would be No 1 in the world. Serena, he assured, would be even better. One day they would play each other for the Wimbledon title. He was summarily dismissed, but in time every last prediction came true. If anything he undershot it. Their first of 29 career meetings took place in the second round of the 1998 Australian Open with Venus winning in straight sets, though Serena would more than even the score as the years progressed.

Photograph: 226¿CLIVE BRUNSKILL/ALLSPORT

February 2014:

Jeremy Lin’s path to the NBA was unlikely: not many players come from Harvard, and only 0.5% of college players were Asian-American during Lin’s time at university. He went undrafted but after a few seasons bumping around the league, Linsanity took over as he averaged 20.9 points per game and his New York Knicks won 10 of 13 games. ‘In some ways, Linsanity wouldn’t have been Linsanity if I was a different skin color, most likely, it wouldn’t have been as big of a deal,’ he reflected later. It did, however, open up a debate about Asian-American athletes in the States

Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

August 2016:

Colin Kaepernick lit a fire that still rages today when he knelt during the national anthem in a preseason game. Kaepernick said he was bringing attention to racial injustice and police brutality in the United States. His critics said he was disrespecting the flag and the military, although few could doubt Kaepernick’s commitment to a cause that looks to have cost him his NFL career.

Photograph: Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

July 2016:

The Minnesota Lynx have been the WNBA’s most dominant team of the last decade, but they made an even bigger splash in 2016 when they wore black warmup shirts that said on the front, “Change starts with us. Justice & Accountability” with the names of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling on the back – two black men fatally shot by police officers.

Photograph: David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images