Bowling: history, techniques, and cultural significance

¶ … history of bowling, and talk about and describe an alternate form of bowling called "Candlepin." Bowling is one of the most popular sports in America today, but its' origins lie far back in time, and it has changed quite a bit throughout the years.

Modern bowling could have developed as early as the stone age, but historians do know that in the Middle Ages, some Germans played the sport of "kegling," where they "tossed round stones at anywhere from three to nine standing clubs" (Hurley 110). Today, bowlers are still often called "keglers" because of this. Variations of this game spread around Europe and the world, and it is certain early Americans enjoyed some form of it. As Germans immigrated to the country, they brought a love of the sport, and helped it develop in the mid-1800s. Throughout the nineteenth century, the sport grew, and became quite fashionable. Historian Hurley notes, "Elite antebellum summer resorts from Saratoga to New Orleans invited guests to cavort on their outdoor bowling lanes. Some of the earliest indoor bowling lanes were to be found in elegant gentlemen's clubs, while private lanes were installed in the homes of some of the nation's wealthiest business magnates" (Hurley 111). However, the elite eventually tired of the sport, while it remained quite popular with the general public. In fact, the company that today dominates the sport, Brunswick, began as a billiard table company that sold tables to saloons and taverns. They began to sell bowling equipment as a sideline to help draw customers into the bars (Hurley 112). These bowling alleys were often underground, dingy, dirty, and filled with smoke and heavy drinking. It was not until the mid-20th century that bowling got more respectable, and large bowling alleys began to be constructed. The ten-pin bowling we know today developed in the 20th century, and the familiar, heavy weighted pins we use today began to be used in the mid 1800s. It was not until the mid 1900s that bowling really became an acceptable sport for women. Today, bowling is still one of the country's most popular sports, and league bowling accounts for a major portion of bowling revenue and participation. A game consists of ten frames, and balls can weigh anywhere from 10 pounds on up depending on the bowler and their abilities.

Candlepin bowling is a variation of the ten-pin bowling most people enjoy in America today. Originally, bowling pins were tall and narrow, but before the Civil War, the familiar "bottle" shaped pins became more popular and dominated bowling after the Civil War. Candlepin bowling is somewhat of a throwback to those earlier pins. The sport developed in Worchester Massachusetts in 1880 after a businessman named Justin White purchased a pool hall and bowling alley in the city. After he bought the business, he discovered some unusual pins and small, three- to five-inch bowling balls stored in the building. The pins were cylinders about one-inch around and ten-inches high, and they looked a bit like broomsticks. White wanted to use the pins, but he felt they needed adapting, because he new it would be very difficult to knock down the pins with the small, three-pound bowling balls. Therefore, he created a new size, about 12-inches high and three inches around, tapering from the center to a slightly narrower base and top (Editors).