There are many variations of bowling. For example, the Italians referred to bowling as "bocce" which is very similar to lawn bowling. Lawn bowling is an English game that originated over 800 years ago. In addition to lawn bowling, the English also played other variations of bowling such as half-bowls, skittles, and ninepins. In 1455, indoor bowling first took place in London [1].

When did bowling come to America? Bowling did not reach America until the first Dutch settlers came to America. Although bowling was played with ninepins in Europe, when bowling was introduced in America, a tenth pin was added to the game of bowling. The tenth pin was added mainly, because in the 1840's, Connecticut Legislature outlawed ninepins because of its widespread of gambling [1] .

Bowling pins were set up by pinboys who labored under grueling conditions for only five cents a game [2] . But, in the 1940's, bowling took on a new revolutionary twist. The automatic pin-spotter was introduced to the game of bowling [1]. This was the most significant technological advancement that had taken place in the game of bowling. This new technology brought bowling into a new era and since then, bowling has continued to advance in its equipment and technology. For example, many bowling centers today have added bumpers to their bowling lanes primary for small children. The bumpers are placed in the gutters to prevent children from rolling gutter balls. Then in the 1990's, many bowling centers began offering Galactic Bowling. Galactic Bowling is when bowlers bowl with black lights, pins that glow in the dark, and special effects lighting and music. Because computer technology has advance so rapidly, many bowling centers today also have computerized scoring which keeps track of bowling scores automatically. Today, one out of every three Americans bowls. In the United Stated, organized and competitive leagues remain the foundation of bowling. Furthermore, more than 70% of these leagues are mixed with men and women, competing in the game of bowling.