What Country Invented Baseball?

Did you know that baseball was invented in America? That’s right – the game we all know and love was created in the good old US of A. But how did it come to be? Read on to find out the story of baseball’s humble beginnings.

America

It is widely accepted that baseball was invented in America, but the game has evolved so much over the years that it is hard to pinpoint exactly when and where it originated. Early forms of baseball were probably played in England and other European countries, but the modern game is distinctly American.

One of the earliest references to baseball in America appears in a 1792 publication called A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, which includes a rhyme about “base-ball” that suggests the game was played by children. By the early 1800s, there are numerous references to “base ball” games being played in cities across America.

The first recorded official baseball game took place in 1846, between the New York Nine and the Knickerbocker Club of New York. The game was played according to rules devised by Alexander Cartwright, considered by many to be the father of modern baseball. These rules included nine players on each team, 90-foot baselines, and three outs per inning.

Over the next few decades, baseball continued to evolve and grow in popularity. The first professional team was formed in 1869, and the first professional league (the National Association of Base Ball Players) was founded in 1871. The modern era of baseball began in 1901 with the formation of the American League. The two leagues competed against each other until they merged into one major league in 1903.

Abner Doubleday

Abner Doubleday was born in Ballston Spa, New York in 1819. He would go on to graduate from West Point in 1842 and have a celebrated military career, serving in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. He rose to the rank of Major General before retiring from the Army in 1873.

While Doubleday’s military accomplishments are impressive, he is perhaps best known for his connection to baseball. In 1839, while still a student at West Point, Doubleday is said to have invented the game of baseball. The story goes that he did so in Cooperstown, New York, on a hot summer day. He and some other boys were looking for something to do, so they drew a diamond-shaped field on a piece of paper and started playing.

While there is no concrete evidence that Doubleday actually invented baseball, he has become closely associated with the game. In 1908, a Commission was formed to investigate the origins of baseball. They concluded that Doubleday was the inventor, and in 1939 the Baseball Hall of Fame was built in Cooperstown (partly because of this connection). Every year on Independence Day, a ceremony is held in Cooperstown to celebrate baseball and all that it represents.

Cooperstown

The first game of baseball was played in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. The game was invented by Abner Doubleday, a Cooperstown resident.