1891
- James Naismith invented basket ball [sic] at a Massachusetts YMCA school
- first women's basketball team organized by Senda Berenson at Smith College, adapting Naismith's rules to emphasize cooperation, with three zones and six players on each team
- first women's college basketball game played at Smith College; no men were admitted to the game (March 21)
- women's basketball began at Iowa State College, Carleton College, Mount Holyoke College, and Sophie Newcomb College (Tulane) in New Orleans; each year more schools added women's basketball to their sports offerings for girls
- Senda Berenson published article on women's basketball and its benefits in the Physical Education journal
- Basketball was being played at many women's colleges, including Vassar College, Bryn Mawr College, and Wellesley College
- Baer published rules for women's "Basquette"
- Bloomers introduced as a playing costume at Sophie Newbomb College, New Orleans
- Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley played the first women's intercollegiate game; Stanford won, 2-1, and men were excluded, with women guarding the windows and doors to exclude men
- first known women's basketball game between two high schools was played in the Chicago area, with Chicago Austin High School against Oak Park High School
- Conference of Physical Training established a committee to form uniform rules for women's basket ball [sic]
- Stanford banned women's basketball from intercollegiate competition, as did the University of California
- University of California at Berkeley was given an outdoor basketball court for women by philanthropist Phoebe Hearst
- Spalding issued women's basketball rules, edited by Senda Berenson, establishing 3 zones with 5-10 players per team; some teams used men's rules, some used Baer's rules, and some used Spalding's/Berenson's rules
- A Native American team played women's basketball at the St. Louis World's Fair, as an exhibition
- AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) took the position that women or girls should not play basketball in public
- the American Olympic Committee declared its opposition to the participation of women in the Olympics competition
- industrial leagues -- teams sponsored by companies for their workers -- were established in many parts of the country
- Jeux Olympiques Féminines held in Monaco, an all-women's sports competition for sports excluded from the Olympics; sports included basketball, track and field; Britain's team won the basketball event
- Jeux Olympiques Féminines held, an all-women's sports competition for sports excluded from the Olympics; sports included basketball, track and field
- Jeux Olympiques Féminines held, an all-women's sports competition for sports excluded from the Olympics; sports included basketball, track and field
- Women's Division of the National Amateur Athletic Federation (WDNAAF) held its first conference; over the next few years, it will take on women's extramural basketball and other sports as too competitive, working to get high schools, industrial leagues, and even churches to ban tournaments
- Olympics included women's basketball -- as an exhibition event
- International Women's Sports Federation founded, hosted a women's event paralleling the Olympics, including basketball
- AAU held first national tournament for women's basketball, with six teams participating
- AAU National Women's Basketball Tournament cancelled under pressure from the WDNAAF; Sunoco Oilers (Dallas) declared AAU national champions
- Olympics included women's basketball -- as an exhibition event
- AAU National Women's Basketball Tournament cancelled for the second year under pressure from the WDNAAF; Sunoco Oilers (Dallas) declared AAU national champions (again)
- AAU selected the first AAU All-America team
- AAU re-started national championship tournament; Sunoco Oilers won, defeating the Golden Cyclones; a beauty contest was part of the event
- AAU national chapionship included 28 teams; Sunoco Oilers won, defeating the Golden Cyclones
- Isadore Channels (of the Chicago Romas team) and Ora Mae Washington (of the Philadelphia Tribunes) were stars in two rival black women's basketball barnstorming teams; both women were also American Tennis Association title winners
- WDNAAF continued to pressure states to ban women's basketball tournaments, with success in many states
- Golden Cyclones won AAU Championship, led by "Babe" Didrikson
- three zones reduced to two in women's competition
- during World War II, competition and recreation basketball was common; relocation canters for Japanese Americans, for instance, included regularly scheduled women's basketball games
- international competition in women's basketball was reorganized
- first Pan-American Games included women's basketball; USA won the gold medal
- Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (ICAW) held an invitational basketball tournament, the first national tournament not including AAU teams; West Chester State won the championship
- women's basketball was included in the Paralympics
