Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Question: What state claims to have invented basketball, volleyball, baseball, and candlepin bowling? 

Answer: Massachusetts. Basketball was invented in Springfield, volleyball in Holyoke, and a 1791 document from Pittsfield contains the earliest known reference to baseball in America. Historians say the state’s colleges, harsh winters, and ties to Britain and Canada made it a hotbed for new indoor and outdoor sports.