Who Invented Table Tennis?
Table tennis was a pastime for the nobility in its early days of 18th century. It was then known as ‘wiff-waff’. In those times, corks were used as balls and books were being used as racquets. Instead of a net sometimes, again the books were used. It was one of the favorite after dinner games in the 18th and the 19th century. British manufacturers J. Jaques and Sons Ltd. trademarked the name ‘ping pong’ in 1901. The name ‘gossima’ was also used for a brief period by the Hamley of Regent Street, a popular mall chain in Britain.
James Gibb, a British inventor, discovered celluloid balls in the US on a trip in 1901 and he thought them to be ideal for the game. In the same year E. C. Goode came up with the modern racquets. The racquets had a layer of rubber attached to the wooden blade. The games began to become popular and the first world championship was held in the following year, although it is not mentioned in the official documents because it was unofficially held. The International Table Tennis Federation was founded in 1926 and the first official championship was held in 1927. Table tennis became a part of the Olympics in 1988.
