We have all participated in a game of bowling at some point in our lives. Whether it was at a birthday party, during a competitive match, or even just on the Wii, we have all had the experience of throwing a bowling ball down the lane and (Hopefully) knocking some pins down.
But how did it all start? The earliest forms of bowling can be found dating back to 5000 B.C. in Egypt. Their game of bowling was slightly different, as they didn’t have bowling balls or lanes. They simply grabbed some stones and rolled them at different objects with the goal of knocking them down. Soon enough, different variations of the game would appear and the popularity of bowling would soon take off.
Bowling soon turned into a widespread phenomenon, which was tied to religion, sport, or even just for recreational play. Around 400 A.D., bowling began in Germany as a religious ritual to cleanse oneself from sin. In 1366, King Edward banned bowling because he felt it was a distraction from archery practice. This was the first mention of bowling in England. In the 15th-17th centuries, lawn bowling, which is when people would bowl outside, usually on surfaces made of baked clay or cinders, spread from Germany to Austria, Switzerland, and into the Low Countries. In 1455, these same lawn bowling lanes were roofed over, making bowling a game that could be played inside and could be played in all weathers.
Bowling was brought to America in 1670 but did not grow in popularity until the late 1800s. In 1895, the American Bowling Congress was formed. It was around this time that bowling in America moved from outdoors to indoors, became less about gambling, and became more socially acceptable. This was also when women started to bowl.
Even though bowling has an extensive history, it has not gained the attraction as other sports of today’s society has. Bowling as a sport peaked in the 60s-70s and has since then lost attraction to people as a competitive game. That does not mean all bowling is lost! People today still enjoy bowling as a fun, recreational pastime. It also seems a little unfair to say that bowling has lost its popularity since bowling is played by over 95 million people worldwide in over 90 countries, however, compared to the popularity it used to have and comparing it to other sports these days it is safe to say that bowling is left playing catch up.
Bowling300 