Who Invented Table Tennis

Who invented table tennis? The answer to that question depends on how far back in time you want to go. Unlike some sports and games that have a particular name associated with their origins, the history of table tennis does not.

Under the topic of who invented table tennis it is usually thought that the game began in England during the 1800's. It was an offshoot of the much older game of tennis, which as you know is played outdoors.

The early games of table tennis were played differently than it is today. For instance, a row of books might have been used as the net, lids from cigar boxes may have been used as the paddles or bats, and a ball of tightly wrapped string may have been used as the ball. The game was most often played by the upper classes of society at that time and there was really no individual name associated with the question who invented table tennis.

The next phase of who invented table tennis comes as manufacturers began to model and then sell the game as a table game. The first use of the name "Table Tennis" appeared on a board and dice game in 1887 by J.H. Singer of New York.

It could be said that David Foster is the first name associated with who invented table tennis as we know it today. In 1890, David Foster patented a table tennis game that included rackets, a 30 mm cloth-covered rubber ball, a wooden fence set up around the perimeter of the table, and large side nets extending along both sides of the table.

Ping Pong was trademarked in 1900 by Hamley Brothers in England. Parker Brothers, who acquired the American rights to the name Ping Pong, worked vigorously to bring the game over to the US and they worked just as hard to market the game.

As the game became more popular it became apparent that the game needed standardized rules. To be fair, when asking the question of who invented table tennis it might be more correct to ask as well when the game became a true game. Prior to there being rules for the game, was it really the game of table tennis? Some might argue that it was not.

Today, there are governing bodies that organize and define the various rules, standardizing them so that the sport is played fairly. So when asking yourself who invented table tennis it might be correct to say that it was the governing bodies who created the game as we know it today.