Mao-Nix Ping Pong Set

First devised in Britain in the 1880s, Ping Pong or table tennis had developed in the 20th century as a popular sport. In the 1920s, individual countries established their own national organizations, and in 1926 an international organization, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), was founded in Berlin. International tournaments, begun, also, in 1926, brought players together from all over the world. The sport even improved the frosty relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China when in 1971 China's premier invited the U.S. team to play a series of friendship matches with Chinese players. Ping Pong diplomacy paved the way for President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China the following year.