The Asiatic black bear is the only bear that naturally occurs on the Korean Peninsula. It is a medium‑sized black bear with a distinctive white or cream “V”/crescent patch on its chest, which is why Koreans call it “half‑moon bear” (반달가슴곰). In Korea it is classified as an endangered wild animal (Class I) and is also a Natural Monument (No. 329). How many bears are in the wild now? By the late 1900s, hunting and habitat loss had reduced the wild population to only about 5 bears in South Korea. A government re‑introduction program began in 2004, releasing Russian Far East bears that share the same genetic lineage. By 2024, the Korea National Park Service reported about 86 wild Asiatic black bears living mainly in Jirisan National Park. In addition, there are still hundreds of captive bears (around 322 bears on 20 farms as reported recently) used historically for bear farming. Where do they live? Today, almost all wild bears in South Korea are concentrated in Jirisan National Park and nea...
When looking at the shape of an American football ball, it is more weird than other round sports balls. There is quite an interesting history until this football ball has this shape.
Football ball made of human skull
In early football games, human skeletons were said to be used instead of balls. So it may have been called 'headball'.
Competition with a cow's bladder
Shortly after the Danes were expelled from England in 1042, the British dug the skeletons of Danish soldiers out of the ground, kicked them and ran through the fields. While they were kicking a headball, they realized that this object was too hard to kick, so they started looking for a sporting product that could be used as an alternative, and the alternative they found were a cow's bladder.
Game rule with a cow's bladder.
With the use of a ball using a cow's bladder, football games began to gain popularity. In the game, the bladder was placed on the border with the neighboring village, and the cow bladder had to be kicked into the middle of another village to win. Players could never touch the ball as they touched it (this game was called 'football' since then), but punching, hitting each other was an acceptable practice.
Banned football game
When Henry II (1154-1189), football was banned to prevent such barbaric and violent acts. However, there was another reason for his decision, as the soldiers were eager to play soccer, far from practicing martial arts and swordsmanship, which became a serious problem for national security. For 400 years since then, football was considered illegal, but people continued to enjoy the game without worrying about it.
Restarted game.
At the time of James I (1603~1625), at the request of sportsmen, the ban on football was withdrawn and the game was played in a way that recognized goals whenever the ball was kicked into the opposing team's goal at the stadium. The cow's bladder was replaced with a round shape ball, and the game was named 'Association Football'. The modern name of this game was 'soccer', which was a common expression at the time.
The beginning of Rugby game
Then, in the early 19th century, an important turning point occurred in the birth of American football.
A college student named William Ellis, who was playing as a player in a football game in 1823, was confused and started running with a soccer ball, who was recorded as the person who made the first illegal touchdown. His college became famous thanks to his foul play, and his name was Rugby. (This is why rugby is written in capital letters unlike other game names)
The evolution of the shape of a football ball
Early American settlers also enjoyed playing football, and football was developed through Ivy League colleges in the mid-19th century. Bob Carroll, of the Association of Football Researchers, talks about the evolution of the shape of a football ball:
The first intercollegiate football match between Rutger and Princeton in 1869 was more of a mess than a match. At that time, they played a European-style soccer game with a round ball. In 1873 college students who made the football rule stated that they must use the sixth ball.
However, there were two ball 6th at the time. One was a round ball for a European-style football game, and the other was a long shape used for a rugby game.
Why Is A Rugby Ball Oval Shaped?
Two different shapes were devised in England.
In football, where you have to kick the ball in muddy water, a round ball is appropriate, but in rugby, you have to be able to hold and run until you kick the ball, so the long and pointy shape makes it easy to carry around.
Who created the rule of Rugby game ?
In 1874, players from McGill University in Canada introduced the rugby game to the Harvard University team. And the Harvard team spread rugby to Princeton, Yale and Columbia University players. Then, in the early 1880s, American football was born according to the rules created by the Walker Camp.
Since 1883, the rules have been revised to give more points for touchdowns than for goals scored by a foot, and the ball has been redesigned to make it easier to hold and run.
Development of the Rugby Ball
The forward pass was legalized in 1906 and in 1913 it became a general rule of play. With this change, the shape of the ball became thinner, and eventually the American football ball that rotates and flies beautifully, as we see it now, is completed.
The more passes, the thinner the ball shape.