Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, National, memorial institution dedicated in 1939, that honors baseball's greatest players and presents the history of the sport. The Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown, New York, where baseball was believed to have been invented by Abner Doubleday in 1839 although there is little support for this story. Displayed in the part of the building designated as a museum are over 6000 artifacts, photographs of famous teams and players, paintings and lithographs of early games, and many other baseball souvenirs and items of interest. The museum's library and archives contain the world's most extensive collection of material devoted exclusively to baseball. As a public facility, the library serves thousands of researchers, visitors, callers, and correspondents each year. A librarian and a staff of researchers are available to assist patrons and to answer questions sent in by baseball enthusiasts all over the world.

In the Hall of Fame gallery are bronze plaques commemorating the “immortals” of baseball. Each year elections are held to select new members to the Hall of Fame. Electees are mainly former players but also include others who have contributed to the advancement of the game. By 1995 only 172 players had been inducted out of about 14,000 who had played major league baseball. Other inductees include baseball managers, umpires, pioneers of the game, baseball executives, and players from the Negro baseball leagues.

The Hall of Fame Committee on Veterans elects players who have been retired from the major leagues for at least 23 years and who competed in at least ten seasons in the major leagues. Members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America elect players who have retired from playing five years before election, been active in the game during the preceding two decades, and competed in at least ten seasons in the major leagues.

National Baseball Hall of Fame