MAMA’S GOING BOWLING

“Unlimber the can opener, Junior. Mama’s going bowling.” The 1952 Women’s International Bowling Congress in St. Louis attracted women from all over the country, including 90 from Minneapolis alone. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the exodus of women bowlers caused “major adjustments” in about 50 local families, “where husbands are being left at home—one-third of them with children to mind.” While women bowlers were widely accepted at bowling alleys and tournaments in the mid-twentieth century, they were often seen as curiosities.