PE MISSION COLLEGE
Bowling, A Brief History
C.K. Cooper
In 1930, British anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie along with a team of archaeologists, discovered
various primitive bowling balls, bowling pins and other materials in the grave of an Egyptian boy dating
to 5200 BC. Their discovery represents the earliest known historical trace of bowling. The first written
reference to bowling dates to 1366, when King Edward III of England banned his troops from playing the
game so that they would not be distracted from their archery practice. In Germany, the game of Kegal
(Kegelspiel) expanded. Keglars rolled balls at nine pins or skittles. The ninepin bowling was introduced
to America from Europe during the colonial era, similar to the game of skittles. It became very popular
and was called “Bowl on the Green”. However, in 1841 a law in Connecticut banned ninepin bowling,
and King Edward III banned it in all colonies due to the gambling and crime associated with it. Clever
colonists circumvented the law by adding a tenth pin and the modern game of bowling as we know it
today was born.
The Germans were instrumental in fostering the game’s popularity as they formed their own
bowling clubs before and after the American Civil War. The first indoor bowling alley ws Knickerbockers
of New York City, built in 1840. The Brunswick Corporation’s addition of bowling equipment to their
product line also served to increase the sport’s popularity. In 1914 Brunswick replaced their line of
wooden bowling balls, mostly made with lignum vitae (extremely hard wood). With hard rubber
Mineralite bowling balls. The change was met with great approval.
The White Elephant restaurant as opened in New York City by Joe Thum, whom many consider to be
the father of bowling, along with Dick Weber. Thum created the first bowling organization in the United
States on September 9, 1985, called the American Bowling Congress (ABC). The ABC was the recognized
governing body until January 1, 2005 when the United States Bowling Congress was launched. This
organized governing body serves amateur adult and youth bowlers in the United States. It resulted from
the merger of the American Bowling Congress. Women’s International Bowling Congress, Young
American Bowlin Alliance and USA Bowling.
Today, USBC serves more than 2.6 million members. The USBC is the national governing body as
recognized by the United States Olympic Committee.
The period from 1940 to 1960 is known as the golden age of bowling due to the sport’s great
popularity and advances in its play. This era saw a great increase in bowling technology. Pins had
previously been set by human pinsetters, or “pin boys”, but with the invention of the semi-automatic
pinsetter in 1936, the boys were no longer needed. By the 1950’s AMF and Brunswick introduced fully
automatic pinsetters giving bowling its greatest boost in popularity. The television age of the 1950’s
also helped to increase the popularity of ten-pin bowling, as images of the sport began to enter the
homes of millions across the United States.
Today there is an active movement to make bowling an Olympic sport, especially by the Federation
Internationale des Quilleurs, the world governing organization. In addition, modern bowling alleys have
changed greatly. As people have become exposed to a wider range of entertainment options, the trend
has shifted to building large entertainment centers that allow people to enjoy many different activities,
such as mult-screen cinemas, restaurants, and night clubs.
Websites to explore: bowl.com (official site of USBC, all bowling info)
Pba.com-Professional Bowlers Association
bowlingmuseum.com-names and dates of pro bowler
laba.com-Los Angeles Bowling Association
sfvwomensbowling.com-San Fernando Women’s Bowling
spr/11
Sources, Book-Professional Bowlers Association Guide to Better Bowling, by Chuck Pezzano
USBC website at bowl.com …..also, a link on my website.