• Billiards' roots go back to the 14th century in France, where it received its name after the stick used to shove the balls, called "biliart".
• Billiards was originated from a lawn game from the family of the croquet games.
• Back then, the church didn't approve the billiard game and saw billiard players as sinners.

Billiards Players

• The first world billiards championship was William Cook who won in a match against John Roberts in 1873. By the way, the first world billiards championship was also the first world championship ever.
• The list of people who were known for their love of billiards is long and includes names such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, King Louis XI, Mary Antoinette and more.
• Frances Anderson was the first woman to win in the world billiards championship. Later on, she admitted that she was born as a man.

Billiards Equipment

• The pool cue was added to billiards equipment only on the 17th century, when billiards players found out that its easier to shoot the balls using the backside of the stick.
• The first billiard balls were made of ivory. A standard set of 15 billiard balls required 2-3 pairs of elephant tusks.
• Today's billiards balls are composed of synthetic materials and cellulose nitrate, which is the same material that creates celluloid used in photography and motion pictures.

Billiards Halls

• The first billiards parlor in the world was opened in England at the end of the 18th century.
• The first public billiards tables in America were put in "pool rooms", which were mainly illegal gathering places for horse bettors.
• "The Recreation" was the largest billiards hall in history and it was built in Detroit in the 1920s during the peak of billiards popularity in the States. The billiard hall had more than 100 tables plus bowling lanes, cigar shops, restaurant and a huge exhibition room.

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