The History Of Bowling

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The sport of bowling has a lengthy history packed with an evolution that has comprehensive rules; and is an indoor activity that has become one of the most popular sports in the world. It can easily be said that over 50% of Americans have bowled once in their lifetime, whether it was for a birthday party or on a date. However, many people bowl routinely without knowing anything about the interesting history of the game.
Oddly, one of the newest of professional sports, bowling is one of the most ancient. In one form or another bowling has been around for more than 7,000 and years. First traces of the sport were discovered in Egyptian tombs, but historians feel that cavemen may well have had been the originator. Having the first form of bowling using rocks or pebbles to toss at other rocks or pebbles. (Pezzano 13)
The Romans, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians were also believed to have played the game in some fashion, but there is no proof available. However, historians know that in Julius Caesar’s time period, around 50 B.C., people in the Alpine regions of Italy played a game called “bocce,” which is considered the Italian form of bowling and is still played today. (Pezzano 13)
The word bowl could be derived from the Saxon bolla and the Danish bolle, which translated to a spherical object. Another theory is that the word originated from the Latin bulla , or the French boule, both meaning “ball.” Bowling has been known by many different names: bowls, skittles, kegling, ninepins, Dutch pins and quilles. (Pezzano 13)
According to ancient records, Germany’s first bowling took on a religious significance. In the early Christian era citizens carried stakes or clubs called kegles. They were used for many purposes, from beating through bushes to defense weapons against attackers. However in the Cathedral cloisters the kegle was set up to represent the devil. A person was then given a rock or some sort of ball with the task of knocking the kegle down. If the player hit the kegle, his life was considered “clean,” and had proved it by knocking off the devil (kegle). However if he missed, it indicated his aim not only in the game but in life needed improvement. (Pezzano 14)
The game was supposedly so popular in fourteen-century England that the young men were skipping military duties in order to bowl; therefore, King Edward III passed a law to ban the sport. Also, other k...

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...oyed by 95 million people in more than ninety countries worldwide. As one can see, the sport also has a lengthy history that is both interesting and filled with some speculation. The quick pace high-energy game is one of the most played sport in the U.S. today and will only continue to grow. Not only can one play the sport for fun, but join the professional tour and make upwards of a half a million dollars. Whether the sport originated with the caveman or with the Egyptians, one can say that the sport of bowling has touched the hearts of many.

Works Cited

Bellisimo, Lou. The Bowler's Manual. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1969.

Bowling – The Original X Game. 1999. 28 April 2004. .

"Bowling." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th ed. 2 vols. Chicago: Chicago Co., 1989.

Brunswick. 1996. 20 April 2004

Burton Jr., Nelson. Bowling. New York: American Co., 1973.

International Bowling Museum & Hall Of Fame. 2000. 1 May 2004 .

PBA Tour. 2000. 23 April 2004 http://www.pba.com>

Pezzano, Chuck.Guide To Better Bowling. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974.

Seifert, Chuck. “Youth Bowling Action.” Bowling World. 1 March 2004: n. pag.

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