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Pool History

Condensed version of "A Brief History of the Noble Game of Billiards" By Mike Shamos. Curator of The Billiard Archive, a nonprofit organization set up to preserve the game’s history. With permission of the Billiard Congress of America.

The History of billiards is long and very rich. The game has been played by kings and commoners, presidents, mental patients, ladies, gentlemen, and hustlers alike. It evolved from a lawn game similar to the croquet played some-time during the 15th century in Northern Europe and probably in France. Play moved indoors to a wooden table with green cloth to simulate grass, and a simple border was placed around the edges. The balls were shoved, rather than struck, with wooden sticks called "maces." The term "billiard" is derived from French, either from the word "billart", one of the wooden sticks, or "bille", a ball.