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1 of 20George Herman (Babe) Ruth, Big League Chewing Gum baseball card. Boston : Goudey Gum Co., 1933.Library of Congress -
2 of 20John Clarkson, Boston Beaneaters, baseball card, 1887.Library of Congress -
3 of 20John J. Evers, Chicago Cubs, baseball card, 1911.Library of Congress -
4 of 20Tim Keefe, New York Giants, baseball card, 1888.Library of Congress -
5 of 20Chas. Bender, Philadelphia Athletics, baseball card, 1911.Library of Congress -
6 of 20Byrd, San Francisco Team, baseball card, 1910.Library of Congress -
7 of 20Dode Paskert, Cincinnati Reds, baseball card, 1909-1911.Library of Congress -
8 of 20Tex Erwin, Brooklyn Dodgers, baseball card, 1911.Library of Congress -
9 of 20Chas. W. Bennett, Detroit Wolverines, baseball card, 1887.Library of Congress -
10 of 20Louis Evans, St. Louis Cardinals, baseball card, 1911.Library of Congress -
11 of 20Cap Anson, Chicago White Stockings, baseball card, 1888.Library of Congress -
12 of 20Eddie Collins, Philadelphia Athletics, baseball card, 1914.Library of Congress -
13 of 20Ernie Howard, Savannah Team, baseball card, 1909-1911.Library of Congress -
14 of 20Bill Bergen, Brooklyn Dodgers, baseball card, 1909-1911.Library of Congress -
15 of 20Sherry Magee, Philadelphia Phillies, baseball card, 1911.Library of Congress -
16 of 20Tip O'Neill, St. Louis Browns, baseball card, 1888.Library of Congress -
17 of 20Clark Griffith, Cincinnati Reds, baseball card, 1911.Library of Congress -
18 of 20Ed Reulbach, Chicago Cubs, baseball card, 1909-1911.Library of Congress -
19 of 20Speas, Portland Team, baseball card, 1911.Library of Congress -
20 of 20John McGraw, New York Giants, baseball card, 1909-1911.Library of Congress
The first National League baseball game was played on April 22, 1876, between the Boston Red Stockings and the Philadelphia Athletics. But it would take nearly a century before baseball fans and officials recognized that day as the birthday of Major League Baseball.
See More: Start the Season Right With These 19th-Century Baseball Portraits
As MLB historian John Thorn has explained, there were a few different dates in the running for the honor. In the middle of the 19th century, the sport—supposedly invented in 1839—began to spread, and professional leagues were established. There was a claim made by 1869, and one for 1871, when the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players‚ an MLB precursor, organized its first game. But the National Association couldn’t hold it together and eventually broke up. In its place came the National League.
In the 1960s—just in time for the MLB centennial—the league recognized that April game 140 years ago as Major League Baseball’s first.
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It didn’t take much longer for the baseball card to come around, often as an advertising gimmick that would come with a pack of cigarettes. The Library of Congress holds a collection of thousands of early baseball cards, from which the gallery above is drawn.
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