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10 pin becomes a thing
1841 when Connecticut law makers made it illegal due to the level of gambling that was becoming associated with the game. This law was quickly circumvented by adding an addition pin which paved the way for today’s ten-pin game. -
earliest discovery
Back in the 1930s, a British anthropologist named Sir Flinders Petrie discovered a primitive bowling set in the grave of a child. So, what's interesting about that? The grave dated back nearly 5000 years, to the height of the ancient Egyptian empire. -
semi automatic pin setting
semi-automatic pin-spotter in 1936, the process became much easier. -
Period: to
golden age
1940 to 1960 is known as the “golden age of bowling” due to the sport’s massive popularity increase and advances in its play. -
automatic pin setting
1946 AMF Bowling launched the first commercial fully automatic pin-spotter, -
bowling in the white house
In 1948, bowling lanes were built in the West Wing of the White House for then sitting President Harry Truman. -
rise of bowling
With the rise of television in the 1950s, bowling saw its first broadcast of "Championship Bowling" on NBC. The sport's popularity grew drastically following the broadcast. In 1958, the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) was founded. It had 4,300 members in 14 countries worldwide. -
first tournament
In 1971, the PBA founded the U.S. Open, one of four major tournaments in the league and arguably the most famous because of its difficulty and length of playtime. -
bowling appears at olympics?
Bowling was first demonstrated in the Olympics in 1988. Over 20 nations competed in the demonstration, though no medals were awarded since it was not an official Olympic sport. -
first competitive woman
As for notable women in modern bowling, Missy Bellinder became the first woman bowler in the PBA in 2004 -
first woman to win the PBA
Kelly Kulick became the first woman to win the PBA Tournament of Champions in 2010. -
almost an olympic sport
In 2015, bowling made the top eight of potential new sports to be featured in the 2020 Summer Olympics, but was later cut for financial reasons.