| The history of bowling dates back thousands | | | | reset. The game has become so popular, in |
| of years. It is believed by many that a | | | | fact, that bowling pin set ups can now be |
| passion for hitting a bowling pin with an | | | | found in almost every country in the world, |
| object actually struck humanity sometime in | | | | with an estimated 95 million fans across the |
| the Stone Age. This passion has never gone | | | | globe. |
| away, as evidenced by the worldwide | | | | |
| popularity of the sport. | | | | The standard bowling pin of today has come a |
| | | | long way, as well. Rather than stone or crude |
| As man evolved, so too did the game and its | | | | wood, a typical American bowling pin is made |
| trademark bowling pin design. Whereas the | | | | out of fine maple wood. This type of pin is |
| first pins likely were made of stone or | | | | created using a lathe to form the shape. Once |
| another crude material, the pins of today | | | | this is done, the wood is coated with plastic |
| have come a long way. Modern pins are precise | | | | and then covered with gloss. The idea is to |
| creations typically made of wood. Each one is | | | | create a uniform set up that is fairly |
| uniform in design specification down to the | | | | standard from alley to alley. |
| thickness of the necks and the height they | | | | |
| stand. | | | | The American bowling pin is a pretty strict |
| | | | creation. The standards set by the American |
| The history of bowling marched forward from | | | | Bowling Congress call for very stringent |
| the Stone Age into actual royal courts. The | | | | specifications. A standard bowling pin stands |
| first mention of the game in written history | | | | precisely 15 inches in height and is not more |
| involves English King Edward III who, in | | | | than 4.75 inches wide at its fattest point. |
| 1366, actually banned the game to force his | | | | They weigh in at less than four pounds a |
| soldiers to focus more on their archery | | | | piece. |
| practice. From Edward's court, the game moved | | | | |
| on to the time of King Henry VIII. It was in | | | | Although the standard American bowling pin is |
| Henry's time the game became one enjoyed | | | | what is found in most alleys, there are other |
| greatly by nobility. | | | | options out there in pins. The games played |
| | | | with them are a bit different, but they still |
| In Colonial America, the game made an | | | | revolve around the same concept of bowling to |
| appearance and was often associated with | | | | knock them down. Other types of pins used in |
| gambling. The bowling pin count in this | | | | bowling games include the candlepin, the |
| earlier form of the game involved nine pins, | | | | duckpin and the set up for five-pins. |
| rather than the 10 of today. | | | | |
| | | | Bowling is a sport that has been enjoyed by |
| The game enjoyed widespread popularity that | | | | people through the ages. From the days before |
| stuck following the invention of the | | | | recorded history to the modern, computerized |
| automatic bowling pin spotter in the 1940s. | | | | alleys of today, the heart of the game has |
| This little creation revolutionized the game | | | | always involved a bowling pin in one form or |
| and made it much easier for frames to be | | | | fashion. |