Historical Photo: Pinboys at the Bowling Alleys in the 1910s

Pinboys working at the Subway Bowling Alley, Brooklyn, New York, 1910. (Lewis Wickes Hine/Library of Congress)

Do you play bowling? Ever heard of pinboys? I guess the answer is no, because the term has been out of use for a long time because it is no longer relevant.

Pinboys at a Bowling Alley in New York, 1910. (Lewis Wickes Hine/Library of Congress)

Pinboys is the term for the kids who work at the bowling alleys to clean up the pins and roll the ball back to the player. This job is now no longer there for two reasons: technological developments and laws prohibiting child labor.

Pinboys at the Bowling Alley in New Jersey, 1909. (Lewis Wickes Hine/Library of Congress)

Until the 1930s pinboys were still around and made about $ 2-4 per week.

Pinboys at a Bowling Alley in Pittsburgh, 1909. (Lewis Wickes Hine/Library of Congress)

Now everything is completely mechanical, no need for manpower to arrange pins and roll the ball back.

Modern Bowling Alley. (Balboa Capital)

In just less than 100 years the bowling alley has changed so much, and some work has been lost. With the development of technology, old jobs will disappear and new jobs will appear.

Can you imagine the situation 100 years from now?