National Bowling Day

Saturday is National Bowling Day.

How many of you have gone bowling?  Which do you prefer: Tenpin bowling with the big ball or Candlepin with a small ball?

Bowling is one of those activities that we are sure that you participated in.  You must have either hosted or gone to a bowling birthday party at some point. 

It is estimated that there are about 67 million bowlers each year in the United States.  Of those 67 million, 1.2 million belong to a bowling league.

What is the earliest evidence of a bowling activity? It dates back to 5,200 BC?  The tomb of an Egyptian boy had nine pieces of stone pins and a small stone “ball” to shoot through marble columns.

We go next to Germany and the time of Martin Luther.  

It is said to have a religious angle because he decided on nine pins in a diamond shape.  The goal was to knock all the pins down except the “kingpin.”

From Germany, to the Scandinavian countries and finally to the United States bowling took root.

Finally, an interesting fact that might be useful for trivia:  one of the first references in the United States to bowling was by Washington Irving in 1818 in “Rip Van Winkle.”

Interestingly, the bowling centers of today have morphed over time so you might not recognize them if you haven’t played in a while.

Private Home Health Care feels like bowling is one of those sports that you either like or you don’t mind passing up.  Which camp are you in?