The modern sport of table tennis developed in England during the late 19th century.
It emerged as an indoor version of lawn tennis, especially among upper-class households seeking a parlor game after dinner. Early equipment was improvised: tables, books, strings, and simple rackets could stand in for the modern table, net, and bat.
The game acquired several commercial names, including Ping-Pong, and equipment makers helped standardize its form. By the early 20th century, table tennis clubs and associations were appearing in Britain and elsewhere. The International Table Tennis Federation was founded in 1926.
Table tennis is now especially associated with powerful traditions in China, Japan, Korea, and Europe, but those later centers should not be confused with the sport's modern English development. Ancient ball games sometimes mentioned in connection with table tennis are not the same organized sport.