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The American Bowling Congress
While there is a lack of certainty where tenpin bowling evolved, the sport was booming in American states like Ohio, New York and Illinois. On September 9, 1895, the American Bowling Congress was created in New York City. This allowed for major tournaments to be held and for regulation to become consistent in the sport, as prior ball weights and pin dimensions varied from state to state. The American Bowling Congress was for men only. Thomas Curtis served as the first president. -
The First Tournament
The first national tournament held by the American Bowling Congress occurred January 8-11, 1901. The event was held in Chicago, Illinois, and six lanes were constructed for this event. -
The First (Real) Bowling Ball
Historically, bowling balls were made from “Vignum Litae” – incredibly hard wood. In 1905, the first rubber bowling ball was introduced. -
The Women International Bowling Congress
40 women, along with proprietor Dennis Sweeney, met and created what is known as the Women’s International Bowling Association (WIBC). This allowed women to compete at the same level as men did in the National Bowling Congress. -
Where It All Began
Sir Flinders Petrie, a British anthropologist, discovers a collection of objects in a child’s grave in Egypt in 1930. Petrie said that the objects related to some form of bowling, and if he is correct, this gives people an idea that the origin of bowling ages back to 3200 BC. However, a German historian named William Pehle, says that bowling originated in 300 AD, and that there is evidence of a form of bowling existed. He even says that bowling was popular during the reign of King Henry VIII! -
Pinspotters
Up until the year 1936, bowling technology was nonexistent, and “pin boys” set the pin deck up for the bowlers, until semi-automatic pinspotters were introduced in this year. In 1946, the first commercially fully automatic pinspotter was introduced by AMF Bowling, and pin boys and semi-automatic spotters were no longer required. -
A New Era of Bowling Balls
Bowling balls began to be made with Polyester, or “plastic”. These days, people will only use plastic balls to throw on their second shot to pick up their spares. It is incredibly rare for someone bowling above a league-player level to use only a plastic ball. -
The PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association is created. Today, it remains the largest and most popular bowling organization, with 3,000 members representing over 30 countries. These PBA members bowl in competitive, multi-level tournaments and events every year. The PBA has gotten "better with age" - as it now leads the sport in competition, with viewing time even seen on ESPN and streaming services! -
The PWBA
The Professional Women’s Bowling Association is formed. Like the PBA, they also host and hold events every year for women to compete in at multiple levels. PWBA events are also streamed on streaming services and often interact with the PBA tour. -
More Bowling Balls to Add!
Another type of bowling ball becomes popular – the polyurethane, or “urethane” ball. This type of ball is still used today, although not as common as it used to be. -
One More Ball!
The bowling ball gets another material addition with “Reactiv Resin”, still made from urethane but with extra additives to create pores on the bowling ball. This allows the ball to soak the lane oil, creating friction on the oil pattern and lane. This is what most bowlers use for their bowling ball material today!