INVENTOR

William G. Morgan

1870 - 1942

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William George Morgan (January 23, 1870 – December 27, 1942) was the inventor of volleyball, originally called "Mintonette", a name derived from the game of badminton which he later agreed to change to better reflect the nature of the sport. He was born in Lockport, New York, U.S. He met James Naismith, inventor of basketball, while Morgan was studying at Springfield College in 1892. Like Naismith, Morgan pursued a career in Physical Education at the YMCA. Influenced by Naismith and basketball, in 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Morgan invented "Mintonette" a less vigorous team sport more suitable for older members of the YMCA but one that still required athletic skill. Later Alfred S. Halstead watched it being played and renamed it "Volleyball". Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. William G. Morgan is the 58th most popular inventor (down from 51st in 2019), the 751st most popular biography from United States (down from 457th in 2019) and the 17th most popular American Inventor.

William George Morgan is most famous for being the inventor of the game of volleyball. He created the game in 1895 while working as a physical education director at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Volleyball quickly gained popularity and became an Olympic sport in 1964. Today, it is one of the most widely played sports in the world.

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Among INVENTORS

Among inventors, William G. Morgan ranks 58 out of 426. Before him are Hiram Maxim, Samuel Pierpont Langley, Richard Trevithick, Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, Adam Opel, and Charles Goodyear. After him are John Boyd Dunlop, Louis Blériot, Emile Berliner, Willis Carrier, Étienne Lenoir, and Theodore Maiman.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1870, William G. Morgan ranks 19. Before him are Miguel Primo de Rivera, Albert Fish, Karl Renner, Louis II, Prince of Monaco, Sigfrid Edström, and Lavr Kornilov. After him are Maurice Denis, Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Edwin S. Porter, Gustav Bauer, Josef Hoffmann, and Clara Immerwahr. Among people deceased in 1942, William G. Morgan ranks 16. Before him are Robert Musil, Walther von Reichenau, Anton Drexler, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Fritz Todt, and Robert Bosch. After him are Franz Boas, Irène Némirovsky, Bruno Schulz, Sabina Spielrein, Kārlis Ulmanis, and François Darlan.

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In United States

Among people born in United States, William G. Morgan ranks 751 out of 20,380. Before him are Glenn T. Seaborg (1912), James Earl Jones (1931), John Cazale (1935), Martin Cooper (1928), Charles Goodyear (1800), and Mike Pence (1959). After him are Bell hooks (1952), Kip Thorne (1940), Marshall Warren Nirenberg (1927), Hugh Everett III (1930), Diana Ross (1944), and Roy Lichtenstein (1923).

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Among INVENTORS In United States

Among inventors born in United States, William G. Morgan ranks 17. Before him are Steve Wozniak (1950), George Westinghouse (1846), Douglas Engelbart (1925), Hiram Maxim (1840), Samuel Pierpont Langley (1834), and Charles Goodyear (1800). After him are Willis Carrier (1876), Theodore Maiman (1927), Isaac Singer (1811), John Deere (1804), Josephine Cochrane (1839), and Les Paul (1915).

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