trap shooting with live pigeons began in the u.s. around 1825, with the first recorded match balls containing feathers, then clay targets. bogardus invented the first practical glass ball trap in 1877. glass spheres, filled with feathers, were used as targets, much as clay pigeons are used today. they were called bogardus balls. one feature of them was ridges which helped ensure that pellets would shatter the sphere, rather than glancing off.