Strike Up the Fun: Top 11 Amazing Bowling Facts You Never Knew!

1. Monks, Rocks, and Kegel: Bowling's Spiritual Origins

Spare me the details: the path to spiritual strike-titude began in 300 BC Germany, when monks took it upon themselves to roll rocks at a club (kegel) in hopes of knocking over the metaphorical sinful pins within themselves, thus bowling their way to sanctity, and also coining the term Keglers for these early bowlers – a game that still reigns in Deutschland as Kegel (German Bowling).
Source => bowlingvision.com

2. Henry VIII's Pin-Smashing Kingdom

Before Henry VIII's unpinning of multiple wives made the headlines, bowlers in his kingdom were knocking pins down in style: Bowling, with several variations of "pin" games, has a rich history dating back to the 1500s, later standardized in the 1800s with the formation of the American Bowling Congress, and now enjoyed by 95 million people across 90 countries.
Source => bowlingmuseum.com

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3. Medieval Sailors' Nine-Pin Fun

Long before sailors were the kings of the ocean, they were "knocking at the nine-pins" in medieval England – literally: soldiers and sailors indulged in a game that involved rolling a ball towards nine pins during their leisure time, a precursor to modern day bowling.
Source => ctdbowling.com

4. The Turkey: A Prize for Pioneering Bowlers

Back in the day, bowlers were living in a "golden gobble" era where strikes granted more than just high scores: In fact, during the 18th and 19th centuries, bowling tournaments would actually award live turkeys to those who managed to score three consecutive strikes, now famously known as a "turkey" in the bowling world.
Source => zone28.com

5. Professional Bowling: Rolling in Riches

Striking it rich on the lanes: who needs a lottery ticket when you can hurl a 16-pound ball down a polished wooden alley? Behold the golden pins of fortune: Walter Ray Williams Jr., a titan among American pro bowlers, has raked in over $4.9 million in prize money throughout his career, further bolstering his bank account with contributions from bowling clinics, commercials, and sponsorships. So, it appears that professional bowling isn't just good for picking up spares— it helps you pick up some serious cash!
Source => bowlingfix.com

6. Southampton's Ancient Bowling Green

Before the Big Lebowski ever threw a bowling ball or Kingpin even considered rolling a strike, there was an old-school green where balls and bias first met in holy matrimony: the world's oldest surviving bowling green, the Southampton Old Bowling Green, has been in continuous use since 1299, offering folks a spot to play with biased balls and chase after a "jack" or "kitty" on a flat or uneven surface – indoors or outside – all in the name of good ol' fashioned bowl-some fun.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. The Fashion-Forward Purpose of Bowling Shoes

Worry not, fashion-conscious bowlers, for your eccentric footwear has a higher purpose beyond turning heads: those quirky bowling shoes boast specially designed soles made from materials like rubber or leather, providing optimal control for that all-important slide, while being customizable to suit each player's unique style and performance needs.
Source => buddiesproshop.com

8. Ben Ketola's Lightning-Fast Perfect Game

They say not all heroes wear capes, and Ben Ketola is certainly striking proof: this ace bowler from Preble, New York, managed to bowl a perfect game in a lightning-fast 86.9 seconds, making pins cower before his masterful throws. Alas, Guinness World Records hasn't officially recognized his whirlwind performance, as it didn't meet their rigorous authentication criteria. However, they do acknowledge another ten-pin titan, Chad McClean, who bowled his way into the record books by scoring 12 strikes in a single thunderous minute back in 2012.
Source => syracuse.com

9. The Legendary Lignum Vitae Bowling Balls

Before the Avengers, there was a legendary "wooden" squad on the lanes, rolling their way to vic-tree: The Lignum Vitae Balls! These bowling pioneers made strikes with their timber-ific cores, held together by good ol' wooden pegs and not a single trace of rubber: It wasn't until the Brunswick Mineralite ball made its debut in 1906 that this wooden legacy stepped aside, making way for the rubber revolution in bowling ball history.
Source => bowlingheritage.com

10. King Henry VIII's Lawn Bowling Hobby

Before Henry VIII started "off with their heads," it was more like "off with their pins": A recent archaeological dig uncovered a wooden bowling ball from the Tudor era in the moat of King John's Court manor house, proving King Henry VIII and his court had a penchant for lawn bowling and enjoyed sports like "kayles" or nine-pins.
Source => atlasobscura.com

11. Bowling Through the Ages: A Global Success

Whoever said "strike while the iron is hot" clearly never had to face the wrath of a bowling ball hurtling towards helpless pins: Bowling has a long and storied history dating back to around 3200 BC, with the oldest still-operating lawn nestled in Southampton, England since 1299. Roll on 1840, where the first indoor bowling alley opened its doors in New York City. Today, more than 90 countries worldwide have embraced the joy of knocking down pins for sport and entertainment, and the game even contended for a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!
Source => tutorialspoint.com