'Sphairistike' Patented

On this day in history, 1874, Major Walter Wingfield, a Welsh inventor, patented what he called "sphairistike" (lawn tennis). He borrowed the name from the ancient Greek term, meaning skill in playing ball.
The name never became popular, because many people did not know how to pronounce it. Thankfully, Wingfield also referred to his new game as lawn tennis – a name that quickly caught on. He actually patented the court in an hour-glass shape in order to set it apart from familiar rectangular courts.