Yesterday, I plopped down on the official WLBOTT couch. On the TV was the Wimbledon Men’s Final. Recovering from the exhausting demands of my WLBOTT managerial duties, I had neither the will nor the energy to reach for the remote.
But this led me to think: what sports would not be possible without modern material science?
Ping Pong
The earliest table tennis balls in the late 1800s were made from celluloid, which was one of the first plastics. Before that, people experimented with cork, rubber, and even rounded champagne corks.
Celluloid was revolutionary because it was:
- light
- hard
- very uniform
- wonderfully bouncy
It also had one unfortunate feature: It was alarmingly flammable.
Elder G
As a youth, I have fond memories of hanging out in the concrete culvert behind our military housing and lighting cracked ping pong balls on fire, and man, did they burn. We also experimented with the flammability of those little green army men, but they needed a bit of lighter fluid. Lighter fluid was plentiful, because all our fathers smoked and took pride in their lighters.
Historical Ping Pong
Looks like no balls are included (eBay).
Ping Pong at the National Museum of American History
At the end of the 19th century, when ping-pong was coming into its own, the ball was generally made of string, rubber, or sometimes even a used champagne cork. It wasn’t until 1901, that James Gibb, an Englishman, discovered celluloid balls in the United States and found them “perfect for the play of ping-pong.”
The name of the sport is attributed to the sound the ball makes when it is hit back and forth on the table. The ball itself is 40 mm in diameter, hollow, and made from celluloid. – National Museum of American History
The Puritans were early adapters, but frustrated and the lack of bounciness of walnuts.
Double Happiness – How Ping Pong Balls are Made
Double Happiness is a large manufacturer of ping pong balls.
Double Happiness (DHS), founded in Shanghai, China in 1959, is one of the largest and most prestigious table tennis manufacturers globally. They produce a wide array of equipment, including elite-level Hurricane rubbers, tables, and ITTF-approved ABS balls used in world-class tournaments. – Gemini
There is a surprising amount of manual labor involved in making ping pong balls. Here a young woman is testing the veer of the balls. If they roll out of their lane, they are disqualified. This factory makes 600K ping pong balls A DAY!
Perch’s Contribution
We gave our newest employee, Perch Periwinkle, was given an assignment to illustrate our story of ping pong. Sister Julian (Sister Magdalena‘s niece) patiently sat for the portrait.
Nothing sweeps like a new broom! Perch really got into it.
WLBOTT At Wimbledon
Still unable to reach the remote, I endured the awards ceremony at Wimbledon. We noticed that there was a lot of trophy-smooching going on. As long as the winner and the trophy are in a long-term, committed relationship, the Ministry of Virtue and Vice is okay with it.
There have been a few unfortunate and embarrassing incidents where players kissed other human beings rather than the trophy.
Flash round with Elder G:
WLBOTT: After watching the Wimbledon awards ceremony, I noticed a lot of victors kiss their trophies. Are the trophies flavored?
Elder G: Only the really expensive ones. The Wimbledon trophies are lightly seasoned with victory, perspiration, and the faint metallic aftertaste of seventeen years of childhood tennis lessons.
WLBOTT: What was the Viking word for “ping pong”?
Elder G:Pǫngr. Historians remain divided on whether it meant “ping pong” or “duck before Olaf serves the walnut.”
WLBOTT: Has Wimbledon ever been played with ping pong balls?
Elder G: Only once. The match ended after 17 hours because nobody could find the ball in the grass.
WLBOTT: Ping pong on the moon would be pretty cool. What do you think?
Elder G: Every rally would end with someone saying, “I’ll get it,” followed by a thoughtful 2.5-second silence as the ball drifted serenely into lunar orbit.
Perch at Wimbledon
Our newest employee, Perch Periwinkle (of the La Mesa Periwinkles) is actually quite a tennis player, and she represented us at Wimbledon in the Women’s Singles. She came in second, and was awarded a lovely trophy.
She immediately takes the trophy platter and dashes up into the stands. Everyone thinks she is going to visit her WLBOTT supporters (who have a reserved section in the stands). Instead, Perch heads to the concession stand, and orders all their remaining nachos (with the gooey orange cheese). She has the concession attendant place the nachos on her trophy platter. NOW she returns to her WLBOTT friends in the stands, and shares the nachos with the group.
Sister Magdalena and Perch have become fast friends. They really hit it off! Nothing binds (a friendship) like semi-coagulated nacho cheese.
