Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William Morgan at the YMCA in Massachusetts as a less strenuous indoor sport that blended elements of basketball, baseball, tennis and handball. The first official game was played in 1896 at Springfield College and it grew in popularity at schools and became an Olympic sport in 1964. Today, over 50 million people play volleyball annually in over 60 countries, making it the second most popular sport worldwide behind soccer, with major international competitions including the Olympics and World Championships.

1. History of Volleyball 1895 to Today

2. Mintonette William Morgan @ the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts blend of elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball

3. 1896, July 7th - At Springfield College, the first game of "volleyball" was played

4. 1907 Volleyball was presented at the Playground of America Convention as one of the most popular sports

5. 1916 Philippines- an offensive style of passing the ball in a high trajectory to be struck by another player (the set and spike) were introduced

6. 1916 - The NCAA was invited by the YMCA to aid in editing the rules and in promoting the sport Added to school & college physical education & intramural programs

7. WWI 1917, the game was changed from 21 to 15 points 1919 American Expeditionary Forces distributed 16,000 volleyballs to it's troops and allies. This provided a stimulus for the growth of volleyball in foreign lands

8. 1920s 1920, three hits per side and back row attack rules were instituted 1928, it became clear that tournaments and rules were needed, the United States Volleyball Association (USVBA, now USA Volleyball) was formed

9. 1930s 1930, the first two-man beach game was played.

10. 1940s 1947, the Federation Internationale De Volley-Ball (FIVB) was founded in Paris Late 1940s Forearm pass introduced to the game (as a desperation play). Most balls were played with overhand pass.

11. 1950s 1951 - Volleyball was played by over 50 million people each year in over 60 countries 1957 - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) designated volleyball as an Olympic team sport, to be included in the 1964 Olympic Games.

12. 1960s 1960's new techniques added to the game included - the soft spike (dink), forearm pass (bump), blocking across the net, and defensive diving and rolling 1964, Volleyball was introduced to the Olympic Games in Tokyo (Japanese gave us the modern version of the ball)

13. 1970s 1974, the World Championships in Mexico were telecast in Japan 1975, the US National Women's team began a year-round training regime (men started in 1977)

14. 1980s 1983, the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) was formed 1984, the US won their first medals at the Olympics in Los Angeles. The Men won the Gold, and the Women the Silver. 1988, the US Men repeated the Gold in the Olympics in Korea

15. 1990s 1995, the sport of Volleyball was 100 years old! 1996, 2-person beach volleyball was added to the Olympics

16. Today China, Brazil and Russia lead the world London will host 2012 Olympics 2nd most popular sport in the WORLD!!!