Who invented softball?

Question

Very soft game we have been played. I want to know who invented softball.

Answer 1

The earliest known softball game was played in Chicago, Illinois on Thanksgiving Day. 1887 It took place at the Farragut Boat Club to hear the outcome of the Yale and Harvard football game.[1]  When the score was announced and bets were settled, a Yale alumnus threw a boxing glove at a Harvard supporter. The other person grabbed a stick and swung at it. George Hancock called out "Play ball!" and the game began, with the boxing glove tightened into a ball, a broom handle serving as a bat. This first contest ended with a score of 44-40.[2] The ball, being soft, was fielded barehanded