23 American History Questions Most Americans Get Wrong

20. Who invented baseball?

Correct: Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr
Incorrect: Abner Doubleday

According to the story, Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. But, according to the Society for American Baseball Research, “there is no evidence” to suggest that Doubleday had “anything to do with baseball.” Also, reports from that time indicate that he didn’t even like sport: Doubleday’s own obituary says “he was rather averse to outdoor [sic] sports.”

Truth be told, it’s difficult to say who really did come up with the popular pastime. But all of the signs point to Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr. In addition to the creation of the New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club in 1845, he was added to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938, where his inscription reads: “Father of the Modern Base Ball.”