It was 150 years ago that Albert G. Spalding founded a sporting goods store in Chicago, selling a single baseball in the first week ⚾

There were so many firsts, including the first National League baseball, the first baseball glove and the first basketball, as well as manufacturing the first American-made football, golf ball, tennis ball and volleyball. Spalding also made the official NBA ball from 1983 to 2021, with basketball remaining its largest category.