The History of Bowling

History of Bowling

Bowling’s roots trace back to ancient Egypt around 5,000 BC, with evidence of early forms of the game found in tombs and wall drawings. Over time, variations emerged, including the nine-pin game popular in the US before the modern ten-pin game took hold.

Ancient Beginnings

• Egypt (5000 BC): The earliest evidence of bowling-like activities comes from ancient Egypt, where artifacts resembling bowling pins were found in a child’s grave and the depiction of bowling in a royal Egyptian tomb both dating back to at least 3200 BC.
• German Religious Ceremony (300 AD): The first recorded reference to a game in which a ball is thrown at pins dates from 300 AD in Germany, where the game was part of a religious ceremony practiced by monks. 
• Kegel (German Bowling) The game was designed to cleanse themselves of sin, with the pins representing the bowlers’ sins, which were to be struck down with a ball. 

Middle Ages

• Europe (14th Century): The game gained popularity across Europe, with various forms emerging. It was known as “ninepins” in England, where players would attempt to knock down nine pinned arrangements.
• Banning of Bowling: In the 14th century, King Edward III of England banned bowling, viewing it as a distraction from more important activities like archery.

18th and 19th Century Developments

• Nine-Pin Popularity Nine-pin bowling was the most popular form of bowling in much of the United States from colonial times until the 1830s having followed with the European colonists. 
• Panic and Banning Several cities in the United States banned nine-pin bowling out of moral panic over the supposed destruction of the work ethic, gambling, and organized crime. 
• Connecticut Ban (1841) In 1841, Connecticut banned ownership of nine-pin lanes in an attempt to curb gambling and crime. 
• Ten-Pin Emerges Players simply added one more pin to get around the law, nullifying the ban, and the modern ten-pin game was born.
• Establishment of Rules: The American Bowling Congress (ABC) was formed in 1895 to standardize rules, which helped expand the game throughout the country.
• Ten-Pin Bowling: The introduction of ten-pin bowling in the late 19th century provided a new format that became immensely popular.

The American Bowling Congress (ABC)

• Standardization and Organization On September 9, 1895, the American Bowling Congress (ABC) was organized in New York City.
• Rules and Equipment Standards Rules and equipment standards were developed, and the game as it finally was organized remained basically unchanged as the sport grew steadily.
• National Competitions Soon, standardization would be established, and major national competitions could be held. 

Modern Era

• First Indoor Lane is constructed in New York City in 1840. The oldest surviving indoor bowling alley in the United States, Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Connecticut, was built in 1846, and while no longer open for play, offers tours. By 1850 there would be over 400 bowling alleys in the city of New York. Currently Holler House in Milwaukee boasts the two oldest sanctioned lanes that are still manned by human pinsetters.
• Professional Bowling: The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) was founded in 1958, leading to the growth of professional tournaments and televised events.

Technological Advances

• In The Beginning bowling balls were made of stone with a person rolling them at various objects.
• Early Balls were made from varying materials of wood, stone or even animal bones.
• Lignum Vitae which is a very hard wood was the next popular material that bowling balls were made from.
• Rubber Balls were introduced in the 20th century, which was a major technological leap offering better control and consistency for the process and the bowler themselves.
• Polyester (plastic) and urethane were the next major breakthrough with plastic balls beung introduced in 1959 and Urethane becoming a major player in the early 1980’s.
• Reactive Resin Balls were introduced in the early 1990’s which revolutionized the game. Using specialized additives into the urethane coverstock created a condition on the ball surface of oil-absorbing pores which help reduce the affects of oil on the balls reactivity to the lane surface and provided stronger hooking and traction.
• Particle-Enhanced Resin Balls were introduced in the late 1990’s which blended microscopic particles embedded in the reactive coverstocks. This greatly enhanced the capabilities of the reactive balls by further enhancing the traction.
• Ball Core Designs which are the center of any bowling ball that helps to produce the shape of a bowlers ball path after release. These core designs can be (symmetrical or asymmetrical) to create paths that go loner down the lane before breaking or aggressively attack the pocket. Your bowling center proshop operator can help you to pick the correct core for your style of bowling.
• Automatic Pinsetters were introduced to the game in the 1950s revolutionized the bowling alleys helping to speed up play, increase the repeatability/consistency of pin placements and removed the danger to human pinsetters who would sit in the pit area to clear and place pins (at great physical risk).
• Todays Modern Bowling Centers are technological marvels providing bowlers with automatic scoring, pin counts, ball speeds and other comforts provided to help increase the bowling experience and speed up the game. Gone now are keeping score by hand, simple methods for the bowlers to track the current state of a games progress or struggling to see what leaves you have left.

Contemporary Bowling

Today, bowling is an international pastime, enjoyed by millions around the world. It encompasses various formats, including ten-pin, duck-pin, and candlepin, with competitive leagues and recreational play coexisting.

Bowling’s rich history reflects its evolution from ancient rituals to a modern sport that brings people together for fun and competition.