Who invented bowling?

Bowling may have originated in Egypt in 3200 B.C., but its inventor is unknown. British anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie discovered a collection of objects in a child's grave in Egypt that he claims were used for a crude form of bowling.

Bowling actually began in Germany at about A.D. 300, according to historian William Pehle. A form of bowling existed in England in 1366. King Edward III is said to have outlawed the game in order to keep his troops focused on archery practice. The English, Dutch and German settlers brought their own variations of the game to America. It was first mentioned in American literature by Washington Irving. The first permanent bowling location in America was in New York.