5 Interesting Facts About the History of Baseball
January 30, 2023
Baseball is a team game with a bat and a ball, in which millions of people around the world compete. In the United States of America, it is even called “national leisure”. If you love baseball, then be sure to visit the website and win real money online slots.
In this article, you will learn the most interesting facts about baseball and the history of its appearance. Well, let’s get started!
Many Similar Games Competed in the Medieval Times
Like other sports such as tennis, table tennis, and cricket, baseball was different from many other games that were competed in during the Middle Ages.
In France, since the XIV century, the clergy have been playing a game called “la soule”. In the northwest of Spain, an image of a woman playing a game very similar to baseball was found. This image dates back to 1280.
Chairball Is Considered a Close Relative of Baseball and Its Predecessor
Baseball-like games have been played all over Europe for hundreds of years. The one that very much resembles the modern version of baseball is called a “chair ball”. It originated in the county of Sussex in the southeast of England, its first mention was made in a poem of 1330, in which it was proposed not to play this game on the territory of churchyards in any case.
However, in that very game, the goal of one of the teams was to hit the target, while the other defended it in every possible way. Today’s rules of the baseball game are quite radically different from the competition
The Most Similar Game to Modern Baseball Was Rounders
The British game called Rounders is described as the game closest to the modern version of baseball. It was first mentioned in an 1828 book, which also included its rules, which consisted in hitting the ball with the bat and running home to fourth base counterclockwise.
One of the most remarkable facts in the history of baseball is that the game on which it was based is still played by millions of children in the UK and Ireland.
There Is a Sport Called “British Baseball”
Another game that is still played in some parts of England and Wales is simply called “British Baseball”. It is very similar to Rounders and was even called that until 1892.
It is mainly played in two Welsh cities – Cardiff and Newport, as well as in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The game can be safely described as a rounders game, which was somewhat influenced by the American form of baseball.
The First Official Mention of the Game of Baseball Dates Back to 1744
According to David Block, author of Baseball, Before We Knew It (2005), the first mention of the word “baseball” in print was in a children’s book dating back to 1744.
The book was published in England by the children’s writer John Newbury, it was called “A Pretty Little Notebook”. In this edition, there is a reader called “Base Ball”, which describes a game similar to batball.
