The story of baseball’s origins is pretty simple. In 1839 in the city of Cooperstown, New York, Abner Doubleday developed the game of baseball, with the first game being held there according to the rules and regulations set down by the future Union general. From there, the game spread throughout the country, and when the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame was established in the 1930s, the sport’s birthplace was the natural location for it.
It’s a nice story, but it’s just that — a story. There’s actually no real evidence that Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball at all.