James Naismith (Basketball)
James Naismith was born in 1861 in Canada. He was working as a teacher at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891 when he wrote the original thirteen rules for basketball. His rowdy class was stuck inside during a cold, snowy winter, and he needed an active game that would give the boys a chance to exercise. The first game was played with peach baskets, which gave the sport its name. Later, Naismith moved to the University of Kansas and started the first official college basketball program. He died in 1939 in Lawrence, Kansas. During his life, basketball spread throughout the world and even became an Olympic sport.