It continues to baffle me why certain people bother to try changing history, especially in modern times. Since the 20th century, there are better ways to verify facts than ever before. Yet, so much effort has to go into not only validating what was always the plain truth to begin with, but to counter falsehoods that get embedded into the folklore.
Nothing New Under The Sun
Stick and ball games go way back to the time of the pyramids. In the 1800's the British and Americans were playing games similar to baseball known variably as "stool ball", "base", "American Town Ball", and "Cricket". A variation of these games known as "English Rounders" eventually evolved into baseball.
The Great American Evolution
Around the mid 1800's two young New York gentlemen known as Dr. Daniel Adams and Alexander Cartwright formed and organized baseball teams. They would meet with other young professional men at the Madison Square after work. Cartwright was thereafter credited for establishing the rules and organizing the first baseball game.
Originally, Baseball and Town Ball allowed what was called, "soaking a runner" or "plunking" whereas the defender could throw and hit the runner with the ball to get him out. Imagine playing in those days. Ouch! To his credit, Cartwright abolished this type of play as ungentlemanly.
Finally, in 1845, the Knickerbockers Base Ball Club was formed from the Madison Square players. They advertised for opponents and the first baseball game was played on June 19, 1846 in Hoboken, NJ between the Knickerbockers Base Ball Club and the New York Nine. After agreeing to the same rules, Cartwright umpired the game and enforced a 6 cent fine for swearing