Which country does bowling come from?

"Aim, throw, and knock down the target" is a game that is closely related to the human destructive instinct. Therefore, some people think that this game must have existed since ancient times. But how did bowling evolve into what it is today? In order to seek further understanding, we might as well trace and discuss its historical evolution here.

(1) The birthplace of bowling. When British archaeologist Flanders Pedley excavated an Egyptian tomb in 5200 BC, he found marble similar to modern bowling balls in children's graves. Made ball. It is said that in ancient Egypt there was a custom of burying the deceased's favorite or most valued things together. Therefore, we can speculate that the balls and pins discovered by Mr. Flanders Pedder should be those of the children before they were born. Toys that have become popular. Although we cannot clearly know under what rules this game was played in ancient Egypt, it should not be too outrageous to conclude that it was the prototype of modern bowling.

(2) Religious rituals to fight against demons. Although we cannot clearly find out how this game spread to other places, we can know from some documentary records that bowling appeared for the second time. The era was in Europe in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. At that time, in the churches of the German Empire, a religious ritual called "fighting the devil" was popular for a while. The so-called devil is replaced by a round stick. The round stick is placed in the corner of the corridor as a devil, a ball is thrown from a specified distance, and the rolling force of the ball is used to knock the round stick down. If the round rod can be knocked down smoothly, it means that the operator has a very devout faith in God. On the contrary, if it cannot be knocked down, it means that the operator's faith is not loyal enough. Therefore, for people at that time, it was not so much a way of playing, but a serious religious ritual for predicting one's own destiny. However, during the preview, the ritual of "fighting the devil" was undeniably quite interesting, so it gradually evolved into a form of entertainment that had nothing to do with faith, and finally broke away from the church and became a ritual with entertainment as its main purpose. The game continued to spread to the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and other places. It was welcomed by the public as an outdoor activity and became popular everywhere.

(3) The nine-pin bowling system popular in Europe. From the 16th to the 17th century, European countries were facing many revolutionary religious reforms. This trend was mainly due to the Germans in 1571. The revolution was caused by Martin Luther's Five Opinions, which publicly denounced the Catholic Church's selling of indulgences. Martin Luther, known as the "Father of the Religious Revolution", can actually be said to be the father of bowling. The ten-pin bowling system we play today evolved from the nine-pin bowling system, and this nine-pin bowling system was invented by Martin Luther. Martin Luther uniformly stipulated that the number of pins for the various types of bowling games at that time was nine, and arranged them in a diamond shape (rhombus), and formulated various game rules. This makes the game even more interesting. As a result, it quickly became popular. With the popularity of nine-pin bowling, the original ball rolling on the ground was gradually improved to plastering and paving the floor as a pitching table. Finally, walls and roofs were even added to become the current indoor bowling table. sports.

(4) Lawn bowls popular in the UK When nine-pin bowling first became popular in Germany and the Netherlands, the game of lawn bowls was also popular in the UK. This is a game played on the outdoor lawn. It uses a white ball pre-rolled on the ground as the target. You step on a small fixed mat with one foot and throw the ball in your hand. The player who throws the ball closest to the white ball is the winner. . Although this game is regarded as a noble entertainment popular among the upper class, many nobles neglected their martial arts training because of their enthusiasm for this game. As a result, Edward III issued a ban in 1366, banning this game for 170 years. Years long. It was not until Henry VIII that the prohibition was lifted and it prevailed again. Today in the UK the name "ONTHEGREEN" is still used in society. "Lawn ball" later used bottles instead of targets, which can also be regarded as one of the evolutions in the development history of bowling. The etymology of bowling (BOWLING) is believed to also come from lawn ball.

(5) Nine-pin bowling was popular throughout Europe during the first golden age in the United States. In 1626, due to Dutch immigrants crossing the Atlantic to the Americas, this entertainment also appeared in the United States. . Around the same time, lawn bowls similar to this have also been introduced to the United States. This is the best form of entertainment for American pioneers, especially nine-pin bowling, so this game is as fast as an infectious disease. spread throughout the United States. After 1800, it can be said to be the first golden age of nine-pin bowling. Because it has been infiltrated into money gambling, the degree of madness among people has greatly increased. Therefore, the game was fiercely criticized by the Puritans. Finally, in 1841, New York State also issued the same order. Subsequently, states also issued bans one after another, so nine-pin bowling finally disappeared in the United States.

(6) Evolution from nine-pin bowling to ten-pin bowling. The above-mentioned ban is quite regrettable for those who regard nine-pin bowling as a healthy form of entertainment. So these people racked their brains to increase the number of pins by one and arrange them in an equilateral triangle to appear like a ten-pin bowling ball.

Due to the overwhelming support of ten-pin bowling by bowling fans, in 1847, a bowling club was first opened in a basement in the small town of Gullinigi, New York State. The next year, the National Bowling Association (NATIONAL BOWLING ASSOCIATION - NBA) was established, unifying the various lane distances and ball sizes with varying specifications, and formulating competition rules. This was the birth of modern bowling. In 1890, due to the establishment of the American Amateur Bowling League. NBA affairs have also been transferred to this league.

(7) The establishment of ABC In 1895, the ABC (AMERICAN BOWLING CONGRESS) representing the modern bowling association was established. The rules have also been greatly improved and become more sophisticated. In addition, ABC has decided to hold knockout competitions regularly every year. The first tournament was held in 1901 at Chicago's Verubuck Building Bowling Alley. Since then, bowling activities have flourished and become one of the most elegant places in the world. It later became popular throughout America, Europe and Asia.

In 1916, the Women's Bowling Association (WIBC) and the Youth Bowling Association (YABC) were established.

In 1946, AMF Company developed a fully automatic pin setting machine, pushing bowling into a new era.

The International Bowling Federation (FIQ) was established in 1952 and is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. It advocates and promotes the development of this sport based on the Olympic spirit. And divided the world into three major regions: the United States, Europe, and Asia.

The first international competition was held in Helsinki in 1954, with seven European countries participating.

The first World Championships was held in 1963.

The first World Cup was held in 1964.

The first Asian Championship was held in 1968.

In 1974, 1978 and 1986, bowling was listed as an official event of the Asian Games.

In 1988, bowling was listed as a performance event at the 24th Seoul Olympics.

In 1992, the 25th Barcelona Olympic Games included bowling as an official event for the first time.

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, bowling became a demonstration event and strived to become an official Olympic event.

The United States has made great efforts to popularize and develop bowling, making this sport the second most popular sport in the world after basketball. According to statistics from the 1990s, *** has 80 to 90 million members, of which 37% are female members, 35% are male members, and 28% are teenagers. There are more than 10,000 bowling centers across the country, and about 20 million people participate in the activity every week. On average, 3 out of every 5 people are amateur athletes, and people are more interested in bowling than baseball, football, golf and tennis. According to statistics, the total sports consumption of Americans each year reaches 47 billion US dollars, of which 6.4 billion US dollars are spent on tickets to watch various sports competitions, accounting for about 14%, and 62% are spent on membership fees such as bowling and golf. billion dollars.

Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina..., the United Kingdom, the former Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Romania... in Europe, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines in Asia , Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan Province of my country, and Hong Kong, bowling is also relatively popular. Japan and South Korea have the highest bowling skills in Asia and have established professional associations (JPBA, KPBA) respectively, and have formed a complete promotion and training system. Bowling is listed as a physical education course in more than 140 schools, and every city above the county level has its own team.