The history of billiards has a long and rich history dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Although originally believed to have started in Spain or Italy, it was probably first in France or England. The game’s popularity spread among royalty and noble families in England and France in the early 16th century. Shakespeare made reference to the game in his play “Antony and Cleopatra” when Cleopatra suggests to her maid: “Let us play pool.” The term billiards is derived from one of two French words, “billiart” meaning one of the wooden sticks, or “bille” meaning a ball.

The game evolved from a croquet-like lawn game and moved indoors to a wooden table with a green cloth to simulate lawn. The balls were pushed with wooden sticks called “maces”. Originally, the tables had flat rail-like walls, their sole purpose being 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 significant improvements to the functionality of the pool table. The tables were made of wood and some of marble. Around 1826, he began to use slate for the bed of the table. 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 table top.

During the 19th century, billiards gained a large following, especially in England. Many kings and queens owned pool tables. It became popular with the rulers of South Africa, Australia, India, and the South Pacific, as well as Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, and Russia. The game continued to grow in North America. New York had 50-60 pool halls in 1850. Supposedly, by 1860 there were pool halls in every state in the United States. During the Civil War, there was more media coverage of billiards than war news. After World War II, the game of pool declined as returning soldiers built races and bought houses. More and more rooms were closing, and by the end of the 1950s, it seemed that the game did not exist. After the release of the 1961 film “The Hustler” about the dark life of a pool hustler, starring Paul Newman, the game was revived. More pool halls began to open during the 1960s until the Vietnam War came, as well as more people participating 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 deluxe rooms opened and the popularity continued to grow. There is still a lot of fun and excitement about the game today in the 21st century.