James Naismith Google Logo To Celebrate Inventor Of Basketball

Jan 15, 2021 - 6:23 am 1 by
Filed Under Logos

Google Dr James Naismith Doodle

Today Google is celebrating the invention of my favorite sport, basketball. The inventor, James Naismith is featured in a Doodle watching kids play his game. James Naismith was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, sports coach, and innovator.

He was born on November 6, 1861, Almonte, Mississippi Mills, Canada and passed on November 28, 1939, Lawrence, KS. He was married two times, Florence B. Kincaid (m. 1939–1939) and Maude Evelyn Sherman (m. 1894–1937). His first wife passed in 1937, and on June 11, 1939, he married his second wife. He had five children Helen Carolyn, John Edwin, James Sherman, Margaret Mason, and Maude Ann.

He was asked by his boss Dr. Luther Gulick, head of physical education of Springfield YMCA to come up with a new game within 14-days. He came up with new came named "Basket Ball." The first game of "Basket Ball" was played in December 1891. The Doodle shows Dr James Naismith watching the kids play the game, which he eventually coached for years.

Google wrote:

Today’s Doodle celebrates Canadian-American physical educator, professor, doctor, and coach Dr. James Naismith, who invented the game of basketball in 1891. On this day of the following year, Naismith announced the new game and its original rules in the pages of “The Triangle,” a Springfield College school newspaper. From its humble beginnings in a school gymnasium, the sport has grown into an international colossus played in over 200 countries today.

James Naismith was born on November 6, 1861, near the town of Almonte in Ontario, Canada. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from McGill University, and in 1890 took a job as an instructor at the YMCA International Training College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Here, he was tasked to develop an indoor game that could occupy students during the unforgiving New England winters. With two peach baskets, a soccer ball, and just ten rules, the game of “basket ball” was born.

Introduced to Naismith’s class on December 21, 1891, the game initially featured teams of nine players and combined elements of outdoor sports such as American football, soccer, and field hockey. Despite initial skepticism, the sport exploded in popularity over the following years, and in 1936, basketball made its Olympic debut in Berlin, Germany. None other than the sport’s founder—James Naismith—threw the ball for the tip-off to commence the first game.

Naismith envisioned basketball as a way for all students to better themselves physically and mentally. The sport was introduced in a time when schools were segregated, but Naismith saw everyone as someone with potential for the game. In his lifetime, he took steps to help basketball reach more young people, and it has since evolved into a global phenomenon that crosses racial and gender barriers.

In 1959, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame was incorporated in Springfield, Massachusetts, and this mecca of basketball history carries on Naismith’s legacy to this day.

Here’s to Dr. James Naismith—thank you for creating one of the world’s favorite pastimes!

I love that the Doodle is a GIF but was hoping it would be a shooting game.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Follow

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: October 11, 2024

Oct 11, 2024 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: DOJ May Breakup Google, Ranking Volatility, Quick View Theft, Google Web Creator Event, Google Ads & More Search News

Oct 11, 2024 - 8:11 am
Google Updates

Google Search Ranking Volatility Rumbling Again October 10th

Oct 11, 2024 - 8:01 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google AI Overviews Not Linking To Sites Hit By Helpful Content Update

Oct 11, 2024 - 7:51 am
Bing Search

Bing Tests Best List Of Carousel

Oct 11, 2024 - 7:41 am
Google

Google Search Missing Video Tab For Some Users - Bug?

Oct 11, 2024 - 7:31 am
Previous Story: Daily Search Forum Recap: January 14, 2021