Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/753/james-naismith Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891. Born in rural Ontario, Canada, both his parents died while he was still in grade school & his grandparents & then an uncle were left to care for & raise him. Becoming an ordained minister & a medical doctor, he took a job teaching physical education at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, MA. There, he created the game of basketball, intending to introduce a game that allowed exercise indoors, by using two peach basket hoops, a soccer ball & 13 simple rules. He later came to the University of KS at Lawrence in 1898, filling the dual post of Athletics director & chapel director. He initiated the first collegiate Jayhawks basketball game at the University. During World War I (WWI), he served as a chaplain in the KS Army National Guard & as a volunteer chaplain in France. In 1936, basketball became an official Olympic medal event sport with the tournament lasting from August 7-14 in Berlin, Germany. Throughout his lifetime, he never received any fame or fortune from the sport he created & only after his passing in 1939 was enormous recognition heaped upon him. For his historic invention, Naismith's name adorns the Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, MA). Streets & buildings in Springfield & Lawrence are named in tribute. The sport he invented has evolved into a game that more than 300 million people play worldwide, with professional leagues on every Continent.