The History Of Table Tennis Spans Centuries

The history of table tennis goes back over hundreds of years, even during the middle ages a game very much like table tennis called ‘court tennis’ was played by the nobility during the 1880’s and is widely believed to have become popular because of the increasing popularity of both lawn tennis and Badminton.The history of table tennis is full of interesting stories. While table tennis was increasing in popularity, especially in Europe the game was also being played on other continents, but in a different form. History tells of British troops stationed in South Africa who would play a variant of table tennis using a row of books for a net, cigar box lids for paddles and a carved champagne cork as a ball. The history of table tennis is one of continuous improvement in materials used for construction of the tables and accessories and the rise and fall of different nations as they ascended to the top of the championship ladder, for instance Chinese table tennis history reaches it golden years in the 1950’s to the 1970’s. The first appearance of the name ‘table tennis’ was in a board game in 1887, which was brought out by J.H. singer of New York. By 1891 the game was beginning to look like the modern version when a game called ‘Gossima’ was brought out by John Jacques of London. The game featured drum paddles, a 30cm high net and a web wrapped cork ball. From this time onwards the game goes from strength to strength. The first hollow celluloid balls were brought to the United States from England by James Gibb and the name ‘ping pong’ was registered as a trade name in England. The American rights to the name are sold to Parker Brothers in 1901. Also in 1901 the game of table tennis was brought to China from Western settlements. By 1902 stippled table tennis paddles were beginning to make an appearance and the game was beginning to resemble that which we play today.The 1920’s to the 1950’s were an era when Europe dominated the game, with 1926 seeing the establishment of the International Table Tennis Federation. In 1935 The American Ping Pong Association, US Amateur Table Tennis Association, and National Table Tennis Association merge to form the US Table Tennis Association which was eventually renamed USA Table Tennis in 1994). As previously mentioned the 1950’s to the 1970’s saw the Chinese make their mark on the history of table tennis, when in 1952 Hiroji Satoh of Japan wins the World Championships and begins the dominance of the Far East, which will only end with the rise of Swedish dominance in 1989, which would last into the 90’s.Even a short history of table tennis would be beyond the scope of this article and many milestones have been omitted. However if you choose to take up this sport, rest assured that you are becoming a part of the history of table tennis. A history that is filled with interesting incidents and technical refinement.