The most popular game on the planet has come a long way from ancient times to the present day.
The chronicles of the ancient Chinese Han dynasty mention a game called “zu-nyu” (foot ball). Archaeologists have found leather balls in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs during excavations in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
“Harpastum,” a game played by Roman legionnaires, is considered the prototype of football and rugby.
Great Britain is officially recognized as the birthplace of modern football. In the Middle Ages, it was a very aggressive game.
The ball was kicked and hit with the hands, and the crowd would rush at the opponent who had possession of it. Sometimes the entertainment ended in broken bones and other serious injuries.
In 1314, the residents of London were read a royal decree by Edward II, prohibiting the game in the city under threat of imprisonment.
The first official rules of football were introduced on December 7, 1863, by the Football Association of England.
What the first balls looked like
In ancient times, balls were made from materials at hand — leather, animal bladders, tightly twisted rags.
Some peoples used hair, animal wool, stone, sandstone, wood, and glass.
The Egyptians stuffed balls with straw and decorated them with drawings. The Indians used balls made of rubber resin.
Christopher Columbus brought such a find back from his second voyage. The Indians’ rubber ball bounced easily and high when it hit the ground — balls made of other materials did not have such bounce.
In the National Soccer Hall of Fame (Oneonta, New York), you can see the first ball made of rubber — vulcanized rubber. It was invented by Charles Goodyear. He discovered that a mixture of raw rubber and sulfur on a hot stove forms a durable, elastic, high-temperature-resistant compound.
After refining it, Goodyear obtained rubber from the mixture, which turned out to be an elastic material that was stronger and more stable than rubber. In 1855, he presented the first rubber ball to the public.
Leatherworker Richard Lyndon improved the ball’s inner tube. Inflated pig bladders were replaced by a resilient, durable, impact-resistant rubber inner tube.
Mitre and Thomlinson began mass production of leather balls. The first orders came from the English Football League in 1888.
The surface of the ball was made up of 18 leather strips — this design has been retained in models for volleyball.
The design of the soccer ball changed thanks to the developments of architect Richard Buckminster. His Buckyball project is the basis for the modern ball design — pentagons and hexagons forming a polyhedron of perfect spherical shape.
Until the 1960s, leather balls were in use. In wet weather, they got wet and became heavy — making them uncomfortable and dangerous to play with. Top social casino games at Casino Click – the best place for entertainment
Modern soccer balls
By the 1980s, leather had been replaced by synthetic materials that were lighter and more resistant to water.
A modern soccer ball weighs between 410 and 450 grams and consists of a lining, a bladder, and a cover.
Balls remained monochrome for a long time, but it was inconvenient for fans to follow them on black-and-white television screens and from the stands.
This led to the emergence of brightly colored models. Winter balls for playing in the snow are made in shades of red and orange.
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