Holton,+Riley

= = Riley H. 7S English 1 5/6/09

= Baseball History Research Report = Baseball is a bat and ball sport played between two teams of nine players on each team. Evolving from older bat-and-ball games, an early form of baseball was being played in England by the mid-eighteenth century. British and Irish immigrants brought this game and the related [|rounders]  to North America. This is how baseball started in the United States of America starting with brainstorming on rules and up to today millions of people admirer the game.

Alexander Cartwright was the first American to invent baseball. The United States Congress officially credited him on June 3, 1953, for inventing the modern game of baseball. Also Cartwright of New York invented the modern baseball field in 1845. Then Alexander made a team, and with the help of his team, the New York Knickerbockers Base Ball club, they devised the first rules and regulations for the game. Baseball was based on the English game of rounders and it became popular in the United States in the early nineteenth century, where the game was called “town ball” or “base” or “baseball”. Americans began playing baseball on informal teams, using local rules in the early 1800’s, and, by the 1860’s, the sport, unrivaled in popularity, was being described as American’s “national pastime.” The first recorded game of baseball was in 1846 when Cartwright’s team lost to the New York Baseball Club. This game was played at the Elysian Fields in New Jersey. (“The History”)

A man named Abner Doubleday was a United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. There was a myth that he was the one who invented baseball in the United States. When people asked him about this he did not claim anything stating that he invented baseball. This was a popular myth that was told all over in that time. ("Burns, Ken.")

The game of baseball can be tracked back to the 1800’s, many say that baseball is still taking shape after the many years it has been in America. many rules are still being made today like one of the most modern rules of baseball was the designated hitter rule in 1973. During the course of its history, changes have continued. In 1935, the Major League Baseball’ first night game was played. Also in 1936 the Baseball Hall of Fame was made and the first five best players joined it.("History of Baseball") When baseball first began, there were many leagues all over the United States The first leagues to the many leagues today are as follows. In 1858, the National Association of Baseball Players was the first league. Then came the National League, American Baseball Association, Players’ League, American League, and then the Federal League. The league we have today is called the Major League consisting of the National and American Leagues.("Burns, Ken")

Baseball would have never kept its title with out the joining of women, Negros, and Hispanics. In 1884, Moses Fleetwood Walker became the first African-American player in the Major leagues. Blacks had finally made their own league in 1923 and this was a huge success! One of the most honorable black players in baseball history, Jackie Robinson, dies in 1972. In 1866, the first women’s baseball team was created by a group of girls from Vassar College, and then many years later Alta Weiss was the first woman in baseball history to play professional baseball in 1907. Many years later from that, women joined in forming the All-American Girls Pro Baseball League in 1943.("Burns, Ken")

The World Series of baseball is known all over the world, but in 1903, the first World Series was played when the Boston Pilgrims and the Pittsburgh Pirates played. In 1933 Major League Baseball’s first All-Star game was played. One of the many distractions in baseball history was when World War 1 started. One year after the war started many baseball players were sent into it causing many deaths of players.("Burns, Ken")

Many people across the globe watch baseball and games like it. Baseball also gets people active. Baseball has changed tremendously over the years it has been in America and probably still will. This research report taught me many baseball facts that I would have never realized.

=Bibliography= =Burns,Ken. "Timeline." (Online) 2002. http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/timeline/page3.html= ="The History of Baseball-Alexander Cartwright." (Online)1997.http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbaseball.htm (21 April 2009)= =History of Baseball-History 395 (video clip). Youtube.com, 2008= = = = =