"Halls of Fame" whether real or theoretical appear to be a phenomenon of the 20th century. The first physical hall of fame was the result of the efforts of Dr. Henry Mitchell MacCracken who, as chancellor of New York University, founded the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in 1900. The neo-classical structure designed by Stanford White, was formally dedicated on May 30, 1901 and it includes an open-air colannade with niches for 102 individual busts of prominent American authors, educators, architects, inventors, military leaders, judges, theologians, philanthropists, humanitarians, scientists, statesmen, artists, musicians, actors, and explorers.

The concept of a baseball hall of fame was first written about in 1908 when it referred to an "honor roll of pitchers who have pitched full games without allowing opposing teams to hit safely." (from Edward J. Nichols' 1939 Ph.D. dissertation as quoted in the New Dickson Baseball Dictionary). In 1935 Ford Frick, then President of baseball's National League, proposed the idea of a physical shrine to honor the sport's best players. In 1936 the first group of players were elected to the hall of fame and in 1939 the physical baseball hall of fame was dedicated in Cooperstown, New York.

While baseball's hall of fame may be one of the most popular there are now literally hundreds of real and metaphorical halls of fame recognizing individuals in a wide variety of fields and endeavors.