In December 1891, at the YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Canadian physical education teacher James Naismith was asked to invent an indoor game for winter that would keep students fit between football and baseball seasons. He nailed two peach baskets to the balcony rails, 10 feet above the floor, and wrote 13 rules. The first game was played about 21 December 1891 with a soccer ball and nine players on each side. The score was 1-0. The sport spread through YMCAs and universities to the world, becoming an Olympic sport in 1936 for men and 1976 for women. The National Basketball Association was founded in 1946.
Before and after
- 13 November 1891Founding of International Peace Bureau
- 15 November 1891Birth of Erwin Rommel
- 8 December 1891Construction of Paulista Avenue
- 10 December 1891Birth of Nelly Sachs
- 21 December 1891James Naismith invents basketball
- 1892Founding of National Library of Israel
- 1892The Nutcracker
- 3 January 1892Birth of J. R. R. Tolkien
- 26 March 1892Death of Walt Whitman
More in Society, economy & sport
- 1878Founding of Manchester United F.C.
- 1885Founding of Stanford University
- 23 September 1889Founding of Nintendo
- 1 November 1897Founding of Juventus FC
- 1 January 1901Founding of Australia
- 6 March 1902Founding of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.