The history of billiards has a long and rich history dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Although it was originally believed to have started in Spain or Italy, it was probably first in France or England. The popularity of the game spread among the royalty and noble families of England and France in the early 16th century. Shakespeare made reference to the game in his play “Anthony and Cleopatra” when Cleopatra suggests to her maid, “Let us play pool.” The term billiards is derived from one of the two French words, “billiart” which means one of the wooden sticks, or “bille”, which means -a ball.
The game evolved from a lawn game similar to croquet and was moved indoors to a wooden table with a green cloth to simulate grass. The balls were pushed with wooden sticks called “clubs.” Originally, the tables had flat walls like rails, their sole purpose was to prevent the balls from falling off the table. The tables were large (11 or 12 feet) and rectangular. The English used a table with 6 pockets and the Americans used a table with 4 pockets. John Thurston of London made major improvements to the billiard table’s functionality. The tables were made of wood and some were made of marble. Around 1826, he began using slate for the table bed. Slate was more suitable because it was heavy, which made the table solid, and it was a material that could easily produce a smooth surface and not warp. Slate is still used today for the tabletop.
During the 19th century, billiards gained a large following, especially in England. Many kings and queens had pool tables. It became popular with the rulers of South Africa, Australia, India, and the South Pacific, as well as with Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, and Russia. The game continued to grow in North America. New York had 50-60 billiard rooms in 1850. Supposedly, in 1860, there were billiard rooms in every state in the American Union. During the Civil War, there was more media coverage of billiards than news about the war. After World War II, the game of billiards declined as returning soldiers built careers and bought houses. More and more rooms were closing, and by the late 1950s, it seemed that gambling was non-existent. After the release of the 1961 film “The Hustler” about the dark life of a billiard hustler, starring Paul Newman, the game was revived. More billiard rooms began to open during the 1960s until the Vietnam War and more people participated in outdoor activities. This led to another decline in the sport. After the movie “Color of Money” (sequel to “The Hustler”) starring Paul Newman and Tom Cruise came out in the 1980s, there was more enthusiasm for billiards in a new generation. More exclusive rooms were opened and the popularity continued to grow. There is still a lot of fun and excitement about the game today in the 21st century.
