Upon researching the history of bowling on the Internet, I found the sport to be traced back to the ancient Egyptians.

According to www.bowlingmuseum.com, British anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie uncovered ancient forms of the sport in a child's grave in Egypt some 70 years ago. Too bad King Tut and his buddies may not have had beer and nachos to complement their fine bowling skills.

So, if bowling does have founding fathers, the ancient Egyptians would be the ones to praise...

[More]  The Times Daily, Alabama, USA, January 21, 2005.

A Japanese research team has found "a perfect mummy" in an unrobbed Egyptian tomb believed to be more than 3,500 years old, the team's leader said.

The mummy was in a sealed wooden coffin unearthed in the archeological site of Dahshur North in northern Egypt, said Sakuji Yoshimura, who headed the team from Tokyo's Waseda University.

The mummified man was believed to be from a period 3,500-4,000 years ago, older than the era of Tutankhamen, the pharaoh of ancient Egypt who ruled in 1336-1327 BC, Yoshimura said, citing characteristics of the coffin.

The mummy, wearing a mask painted blue and red that still retained vivid shades, was of high academic value as it was "a perfect mummy that has escaped robbery and other damage," he said on his website late Friday.

The coffin was painted yellow and inscribed with hieroglyphics in light blue, he said, adding the hieroglyphics showed the mummified man was an administrative officer.

Also Japanese team discovers 3,500-year-old mummy in Egypt, AFP via Khaleej Times, UAE, 22 January 2005.

Also Japanese team discovers 3,500-year-old mummy in Egypt, AFP via Yahoo, USA, 22 January 2005.  Includes Photo of the mummy, click on this and the sidebar contains a photo of the coffin, click on this photo to get more details.