December 21, 1891
On this day in 1891, the first basketball game was played at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. James Naismith invented the game during his tenure as a physical education instructor at the YMCA. There were a total of 18 students that participated in the first game. The game was played using peach baskets and a soccer ball. Naismith continued to evolve his game and soon established the first 13 rules for the game.