While
women had been bowling in the latter half of the nineteenth
century, the American Bowling Congress was for men. It was in 1917
that the Women's International Congress was born in St. Louis.
Encouraged by proprietor Dennis Sweeney, women leaders from around
the country participating in a tournament decided to form what was
then called the Women's National Bowling Association.
Bowling technology took a big step forward about the same time.
Balls used to be primarily lignum vitae, a very hard wood. But in
1905 the first rubber ball, the "Evertrue" was introduced, and in
1914 the Brunswick Corporation successfully promoted the Mineralite
ball, touting its "mysterious rubber compouund".
Now organized, with agreed upon standards, the game grew in
popularity. But another technological breakthrough set the stage
for massive growth. Morehead Patterson, a vice president of
American Machine and Foundry Company (AMF, then a maker of
machinery for the bakery, tobacco and apparel businesses) purchased
for the company the patents to Gottfried Schmidt's automatic
pinspotter.
The first commercial installation was made in Michigan in 1951, and
by late 1952 production model pinspotters were introduced. No
longer did a proprietor have to rely on "pinboys"; a few
higher-paid mechanics could keep numerous lanes functioning many
hours each day.
Television experimented with bowling in the 1950's, and the game's
popularity grew exponentially. NBC's broadcast of "Championship
Bowling" was the first network coverage of bowling. Coverage
proliferated with shows like "Make That Spare", Celebrity Bowling,
and "Bowling For Dollars". And in 1961, ABC became the first
network to telecast competition of the Pro Bowlers Association.
Successful promoter, agent and entrepreneur Eddie Elias founded the
PBA, and with his leadership, the Pro Bowlers Tour became a hugely
popular stalwart of ABC sports broadcasting. Joined later by
telecasts of the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour, millions of Americans
witnessed and became interested in the sport.
Organized, competitive leagues remain the foundation of bowling in
the United States. However, more than 70% of leagues today are
mixed, with a more relaxed level of competition. Also, "organized
open" play -- such as Saturday night "Rock and Bowl" events -- are
growing in importance to proprietors throughout the country.
Today, the sport of bowling is enjoyed by 100 million people in
more than ninety countries worldwide. The sport has a long and
intriguing history, and good prospects for growth around the
globe.
http://www.bowlingmuseum.com/history.html
