1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:08,559 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,439 Speaker 1: show for those who can never know enough about history. 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Luzier, and in this episode, we're talking about 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: the humble origins of volleyball, including its surprising connection to 6 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: that other sport created in western Massachusetts in the eighteen nineties, 7 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: you know, the one with the basket. The day was 8 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: February ninth, eighteen ninety five. The first game of volleyball 9 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: was played at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The sport 10 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: was invented by the wise twenty five year old physical 11 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: education director William Morgan. He had been looking for a new, 12 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: less vigorous activity for the center's older participants, and when 13 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: he realized none of the existing sports fit the bill, 14 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 1: he decided to create his own. William George Morgan was 15 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: born on January twenty third, eighteen seventy in Lockport, New York. 16 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: He spent his youth attending public school and working in 17 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,960 Speaker 1: his father's boatyard on the banks of the Old Erie Canal. 18 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: When he was twenty one, Morgan enrolled at the Mount 19 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: Herman Prep School in Northfield, Massachusetts, and began playing football. 20 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: Not long after, he formed a friendship with James Naysmith, 21 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: a physical education teacher and the originator of basketball. Naysmith 22 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,960 Speaker 1: was impressed with Morgan's skills on the field and invited 23 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 1: him to continue his education at the YMCA Training School 24 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: in Springfield, Massachusetts, now known as Springfield College. Morgan took 25 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: him up on the offer and played on the school's 26 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: famous championship football team for the next several years. In 27 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety five, about a year after his graduation, Morgan 28 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: accepted the position of physical education director at the YMCA 29 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,799 Speaker 1: in Holyyoke, less than ten miles up the road from Springfield. 30 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: One of Morgan's primary duties was to coordinate activities for 31 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 1: the wise participants. At the time, most of the members 32 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: wanted to play basketball, the hot new sport that Naysmith 33 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 1: had invented in Springfield less than four years earlier. However, 34 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: shortly into his tenure, Morgan realized that basketball was too 35 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: rough and physically demanding to be played by the middle 36 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: aged businessman who frequented his athletic center. The same was 37 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: true for most other indoor sports, so he started brainstorming 38 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: ideas for a new game. One that would have a 39 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:48,799 Speaker 1: quote strong athletic impulse, but no physical contact to strike 40 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: that balance. Morgan combined features from multiple different sports. From tennis, 41 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: he took the net. From handball, he took the use 42 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: of hands. From baseball, he took the idea of innings, 43 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: though that would eventually be phased out, And from basketball 44 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: he took the ball itself, and when that proved too 45 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: heavy and cumbersome, he later swapped it for the rubber 46 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: bladder inside the ball. The resulting Frankens sport was played 47 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: a lot like badminton, so Morgan did one more bit 48 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:21,920 Speaker 1: of borrowing and dubbed his new game mintonet. The name 49 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: wasn't the only thing different from what we now know 50 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: is volleyball. First off, the game consisted of nine innings, 51 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: just like baseball. There also wasn't a limit to the 52 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: number of players on the court at any given time, 53 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: and each side was allowed to hit the ball as 54 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: many times as they needed to get it over the net. 55 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: Oh and spiking the ball wasn't a thing yet. That 56 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 1: Filipino innovation wouldn't arrive until nineteen sixteen. Beyond those few differences, though, 57 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,839 Speaker 1: Morgan's sport was played much as it is today, as 58 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: evidenced by his original description of the gameplay mintonet play. 59 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: He wroteols keeping a ball in motion from side to 60 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: side over a high net, with any number of persons 61 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: being able to participate on each side. The game is 62 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: initiated by a person on one side hitting the ball 63 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: over the net to the opponent's side. The opponent must 64 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: not allow the ball to hit the floor, and the 65 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: goal is to return the ball over the net. This way, 66 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: the ball goes back and forth until it is hit 67 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: out or lands on the opponent's side of the floor. 68 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: Morgan first tried out the game with some participants that 69 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:34,919 Speaker 1: the Holyoke Y on February ninth, eighteen ninety five. It 70 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,719 Speaker 1: was well enough received that he continued to fine tune 71 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,359 Speaker 1: the game for the rest of the year. Then in 72 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety six, he organized an exhibition match at the 73 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: YMCA Physical Director's Conference. The other faculty members praised the 74 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: sport's accessibility and challenge, but Professor Alfred Halstaed did have 75 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: one suggestion. He thought the name minta net was too vague, 76 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,599 Speaker 1: so he recommended placing it with volleyball, as he felt 77 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,719 Speaker 1: it better express the object of the game to volley 78 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: the ball back and forth. Morgan welcomed the feedback and 79 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,920 Speaker 1: adopted the new name right away, though it's worth noting 80 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: that the original version was two words, volley and ball. 81 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 1: It wasn't until nineteen fifty two that the name was 82 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: officially changed to just the one word. Following the successful 83 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: demonstration in eighteen ninety six, volleyball was gradually introduced a 84 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:33,359 Speaker 1: YMCA's across the country. It steadily gained in popularity, and 85 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: in nineteen hundred the rules of the sport were formally 86 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: approved and published by the WISE National Board of Directors. 87 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,719 Speaker 1: That same year, Morgan teamed up with local sporting goods 88 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 1: manufacturer AG Spaulding to finally solve the game's long standing 89 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: ball problem. The result was a specially designed ball, roughly 90 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: twenty five inches in circumference. Like a basketball, it was 91 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: made of a rubber bladder, encased and left only much 92 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: smaller and lighter. With its own distinct equipment and official 93 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: rule book, the sport of volleyball had finally arrived, and 94 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: over the next two decades the game would spread all 95 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 1: over the world. It was played at the WISE Athletic 96 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: centers in regions like India, China, Europe, South America and Africa, 97 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:24,479 Speaker 1: and because the organization provided sports equipment and trainers to 98 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: the US Army, volleyball even found its way into foreign 99 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: markets that the YMCA hadn't entered yet, such as Cuba 100 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 1: and Italy. Volleyball's reach extended even further in the nineteen 101 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 1: twenties when women began playing the game, and by the 102 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:44,159 Speaker 1: nineteen thirties, national volleyball championships were being played in a 103 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 1: host of countries. In fact, the world's first national championship 104 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: was held by the newly formed Soviet Union, and one 105 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:55,559 Speaker 1: match was even played on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. 106 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: William Morgan got to witness the incredible expansion of his 107 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: homegrown sport, but on December twenty seventh, nineteen forty two, 108 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: he passed away from pneumonia at the age of sixty eight. 109 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: His time on the court had come to an end, 110 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: but the sport he created was just getting started. Up 111 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: until that point, the rules of the game had varied 112 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 1: from one region of the world to the next, but 113 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty seven, an association was formed that would 114 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: govern volleyball at the international level, established in Paris by 115 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 1: representatives from fourteen different nations. It was called the International 116 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: Federation of Volleyball, or the FIVB. Under the leadership of 117 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: its first president, Francis Paul Libaux, the FIVB organized the 118 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: first Volleyball World Championships for men in nineteen forty nine 119 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 1: and the first for women in nineteen fifty two. Since then, 120 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: the FIVB has grown into one of the largest sporting 121 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: associations in the world, with more than two hundred affiliated 122 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: bodies all over the globe. In nineteen sixty four, volleyball's 123 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: worldwide popularity helped it earn recognition as an official Olympic sport. 124 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 1: It made its debut that year at the Tokyo Games, 125 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: with the first gold medals going to the Russian men's 126 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: team and the Japanese women's team. The version played in 127 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: Tokyo was traditional indoor volleyball, but beach volleyball would eventually 128 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: be made an Olympic sport as well, first appearing at 129 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: the Atlanta Games in nineteen ninety six. The outdoor variant 130 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: of volleyball had been played in California since the nineteen twenties, 131 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: but due to the specificity of its venue, it had 132 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: taken a little longer to catch on in other places. 133 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: Nearly one hundred and thirty years after the sport's creation, 134 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: volleyball is now one of the most played team sports 135 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:54,319 Speaker 1: in the world. According to the FIVB, there are approximately 136 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:58,120 Speaker 1: seven million volleyball players in the US alone and more 137 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 1: than eight hundred million clubs. What had started as a 138 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: safe way for aging businessmen to get some exercise is 139 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: now one of the most popular pastimes on the planet. 140 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,959 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Bluesier and hopefully you now know a little 141 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,960 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. You can 142 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: learn even more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, 143 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:28,560 Speaker 1: and Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have 144 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:31,559 Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions you'd like to share, you can 145 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: always send them my way by writing to This Day 146 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 1: at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing 147 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,080 Speaker 1: the show, and thank you for listening. I'll see you 148 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: back here again soon for another day in History class.