James Naismith invented the game of basketball. In 1891, while working as a physical education teacher at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, Naismith was asked to develop a game that would not take up much room, was not too rough, and at the same time, could be played indoors. Inspired by a game he played as a child in Canada called "Duck on a Rock," his game was first played on December 15, 1891, with thirteen rules (modified versions of twelve of those are still used today), a peach basket nailed to either end of the school's gymnasium, and two teams of nine players. On January 15, 1892, Naismith published the rules for basketball. The original rules did not include what is known today as the dribble, and only allowed the ball to be moved up or down the court via passes between players. Naismith moved to Lawrence, Kansas, in 1898, following his studies in Denver, to serve as a professor, and the school's first basketball coach, at the University of Kansas. The University of Kansas went on to develop one of the nation's most storied college basketball programs.

Date: Between 1920 and 1930