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Invention of the Automobile
The invention of the automobile is credited to Carl Benz. He developed the “vehicle powered by a gas engine” in 1885 and applied for a patent for it in early 1886. The initial vehicle broke down easily, but it had a range of over 100 miles. This invention allowed people to reach leisure activities that would have formerly been too far away. Benz went on in the next few years to solve common problems of the car (4). -
James Naismith Invents Basketball
James Naismith invented the modern sport of basketball in 1891 while working as a physical education instructor at Springfield College. As the game has changed very little from the initial set of rules, Naismith affected modern recreation by almost directly introducing one of the world's most popular sport (6) (450 million people worldwide (12)). The opportunity for women to play was close behind, in 1896, but was late for Black Americans, as the NBA only integrated in 1950 (7). -
William G. Morgan Invents Volleyball
William Morgan, a friend of James Naismith, invented volleyball in 1895 to provide an indoor sport that was less strenuous than basketball. The rules have changed more through time than those of basketball, and the name volleyball was only adapted instead of Mintonette after advice from a colleague of Morgan (8). Though the sport has always been open to women athletes, the number of black athletes in the sport is lower than would be expected based on their population in the U.S. (9) -
Establishment of the Playground and Recreation Association of America
Established on April 12, 1906, the PRAA was created out of a desire to save children from playing in the streets and train them to be healthy citizens. It lobbied government and public groups to fund and build playgrounds. It worked to shows cities the best way to establish recreation and leadership programs, was responsible for municipalities with playgrounds increasing 5 times between 1907 and 1910, and helped establish a mindset focusing on safe play for children that exists today. -
Invention of the Television
The first demonstration of successful electronic television was in 1927, but programming options were initially limited to radio-style or news shows, until the mid-1940s and 1950s. Today, TVs are almost ubiquitous and can access hundreds of different programs at once. Due to these options, this invention obviously greatly affected modern leisure. Modern recreation, too, potentially, by allowing the broadcast of sporting events to those who otherwise might not be able to afford live events (5). -
The Founding of Little League Baseball
Little League was officially founded in 1939 by Carl Stotz for boys in Williamsport, PA, to stop them from playing in the street. This positively impacted modern recreation by setting an example of how to get youths into sports (2). However, the opportunity to play wasn't universal at first. Girls were only allowed to play in 1974, and while Little League was never legally segregated, leagues in many southern states through the mid-1900s refused to play against black or integrated teams (3). -
Establishment of the National Recreation and Park Association
The NRPA was founded on August 14, 1985, by 5 separate national park or recreation organizations unifying, with a focus on protecting green spaces and the recreation that can happen there. It works to provide a lot of education to as many Americans and government groups as possible about many topics concerning leisure and recreation, including the importance of exposing children to nature or maintaining a small footprint in the environment, and lobbies on these issues in Washington (11). -
First Special Olympic Games
The first special Olympic games were held in Chicago, on July 20, 1968, by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. It was on Soldier Field and was attended by 1000 athletes from both the United States and Canada. This has grown to more than 5 million members across 170 countries today. It made a forum in which athletes with intellectual disabilities can compete, and allowed young ID athletes to see professional and world-class athletes succeeding in their sports with the same potential struggles as them (1).