h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Rugby, as the bumper sticker goes, is a game played by men with
odd shaped balls and is a form of football. It was created at the
English public school of the same name in 1823 when a boy called
William Webb Ellis frustrated at the humiliation of being picked last
by a team captain decided to cheat and promptly picked up the ball
and legged it down field. Now this being a public school little Billy
did not find himself being yellow carded nor being placed in
detention but in the great English tradition of justifying anything the
upper classes do was hailed as a hero and a new game created to
accomodate his waywardness, thus rugby was formed. As so often
in English life class yet again played a role in the development of the
game when two forms of rugby were later created; Rugby League
and Rugby Union. In 1895 a split occured between those who
needed to be paid in order to be able to dedicate themselves to the
game and those for whom the mere mention of money was beneath
them and so the professional game of Rugby League was created,
first as the Northern Union. Rugby is now played world wide with
many nations now play both forms of the game and each type has
it's own vehement supporters and advocates.