From its inception in 1939 to the present, Little League has evolved into the primary outlet for youngsters to participate in baseball (see entry under 1900s—Sports and Games in volume 1), America's national pastime. Today, well over three million boys and girls from across the globe between the ages of five and eighteen participate in Little League programs.

Little League was founded in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with the initial league consisting of three teams. In 1947, the first non-Pennsylvania league, located in Hammonton, New Jersey, became an official Little League. By 1950, there were 307 leagues spanning the United States. Little League went international the following year with the establishment of a program in British Columbia, Canada. In 1953, the Little League World Series was first televised, on CBS. In 1955, at least one Little League program existed in all forty-eight states.

Throughout the decades, Little League continued to evolve. Separate leagues were...