Where did volleyball originate?

Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a YMCA instructor in Holyoke, Mass. According to Volleyball.org, Morgan combined elements of basketball, tennis, baseball and handball to create a new sport that was originally called "mintonette."

Morgan's goal in creating volleyball was to present an indoor sport to the men in his classes that involved less physical contact than basketball. About a year later, on July 7, 1896, the first official volleyball match was played at Springfield College. Volleyball was designated an Olympic sport for the 1964 games in Tokyo, and by the time the sport was 100 years old, it was second worldwide behind soccer among participation sports.