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Everyday life and our games

People are always inventing ways to have fun. The Egyptians threw stone balls at upright pins in a game similar to bowling about 5,000 years ago. The Greeks played soccer with inflated animal bladders about 2,500 years ago. Some games seem timeless – hopscotch, marbles, tick-tack-toe and rope skipping are as popular today as when they were first played.

 Dolls have delighted young and old for centuries. They have been made of many different materials, from apples and animal skins to china and plastic. In 1823, baby dolls were made to cry. Soon, they were talking as well. Today, the games industry is booming as inventors create new and exciting games that challenge all who play them. 

Checkmate

Chess was invented in about AD 500 in India. The moves we play today were first used in Europe in the mid-1900s. The winning position “checkmate” comes from shah mat, Arabic for the king is dead.

Barbie Doll

In 968, Ruth Handler invented Barbie, a dress-up doll complete with a wardrobe of clothes and a way of life. More than two billion Barbie dolls have been sold in 140 countries.

Barbie Dolls. Photo by Elena.

Did you know?

The very first roller skates invented by a Belgian musician Joseph Merlin in 1760, had wheels in one line – similar to today's rollerblades.

Lego

The Danish word leg-godt means to play well. Ole Kirk Christiansen chose the name “Lego” for his line of toys. By 1955, his toy plastic bricks that can be joined to construct things such as buildings, machines, people and animals, were known as Lego all over the world.

Name of ten pins

In 1845, nine-pin bowling had become so popular in the state of Connecticut that it encouraged heavy gambling. A law was passed that banned the game of bowling at nine pine. The eager bowlers added a tenth pin and kept on bowling.

Games, Games, Games

In 1972, American Nolan Bushnell invented the first successful computer game. It was like table tennis, and was called Pong. In 1978, Space Invaders was introduced and became a big success. Today's electronic games, such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, use full color animation, speed and constantly changing tactics to outwit even the best human players. The computer game Lunicus pits players against a giant bee!