This Day in History: US Baseball Hall of Fame Elects First Members January 29, 1936 Based in Cooperstown, NY, the Baseball Hall of Fame was established to jumpstart the area’s Depression-ravaged economy.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America chose the five greatest superstars of the game as the first class to be inducted.
The first members were Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson.
Today, the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame has approximately 350,000 visitors per year.