Bowling has been around for a long time — longer than most people would guess.

An anthropologist, Sr. Flinders Petrie, discovered a collection of objects in a child's tomb in Egypt back in the 1930's that appeared to be used for a crude form of bowling.

If that was correct, bowling can be traced to 3200 BC.

One German historian, William Pehle, believes bowling began in his country in about 300 AD.

King Edward outlawed bowling in England in 1366 to keep his troops focused on archery practice.

Italian bocce, the French petanque and British lawn bowling are all considered relatives of bowling.

Bowling is believed to be brought to America by English, Dutch and German settlers. The earliest mention of it in American literature is by Washington Irving, when Rip Van Winkle awakens to the sound of crashing ninepins.

The first permanent American bowling location was likely for lawn bowling in New York's Battery area. Now the heart of the financial district, New Yorkers still call the small plot Bowling Green.

Bowling was the object of much gambling in America and was made illegal in Connecticut in 1841 for that reason.

The American Bowling Congress was born in 1895 and was for men, though women were bowling by that time as well.

The Women's International Bowling Congress was born in St. Louis, Mo., in 1917.

The first rubber bowling ball was introduced in 1905 and automatic pin-spotters were in production by late 1952.

Television began airing bowling in the 1950's and ABC became the first network to televise the Pro Bowlers Association in 1961.

Today, the sport of bowling is enjoyed by 95 million people in more than 90 countries.

bSource: International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame