Bowling

Lore & Background

Bowling games were cited by Herodotus as an invention of the Lydians in Asia Minor. A similar game evolved among Roman legionaries entailing the tossing of stone objects as close as possible to other stone objects, which eventually evolved into Italian bocce. In Germany in the third or fourth century AD, a religious ritual involved cleansing oneself of sin by rolling a rock into a club (kegel) representing the heathen; later pin bowlers were sometimes called 'keglers'. King Edward III banned bowling as a distraction from archery practice. Martin Luther set the number of bowling pins at nine. Henry Hudson's men reportedly brought a form of pin bowling with them to New Amsterdam.

Reader's Guide

Bowling's significance lies in its ancient origins and its evolution into a globally popular recreational and competitive activity. The sport split into two main classes: pin bowling, which includes tenpin, nine-pin, candlepin, duckpin, and five-pin variants; and target bowling, which includes lawn bowls, bocce, pétanque, and curling on ice. Tenpin bowling became the most common form, particularly in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and the United States, where 70 million people play. Bowling's legacy includes its presence in literature (Washington Irving's 'Rip Van Winkle'), its association with historical figures like Francis Drake and Henry VIII, and its role as a social activity in taverns and dedicated alleys.

Did You Know?

• Martin Luther set the number of bowling pins at nine.