Billiards or "pool" is one of the most popular games being played in this modern era of Western civilization; however, it has recently been depicted as a bad influence in people's eyes. From dark and smoky rooms to loud pubs, these labels have tarnished billiards' reputation due to the "olden day" gambling hustlers, who played the game, and due to the influences of the modern media. Despite the stereotypes associated with the game, billiards is possibly one of the oldest games in the world with a rich and colorful background.

The name "billiards" was derived from the French word, "bille" (meaning: a piece of wood, or a curved stick) or "billes" (a variety of spherical objects, including balls). These words were used in reference to ball games as far back as 1164. According to verified historical records, the game of billiards evolved from a lawn sport, called "ground billiards", during the mid to late 1300's in Northern Europe. However, the concept behind billiards may have evolved from a lawn game played by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Evidence of the game was found in uncovered ruins and hieroglyphics dated as far back as 5000 years ago! Ground billiards, from which the table game ultimately evolved, was actually very similar to golf, tennis and croquet. The object was generally to propel a ball, through obstacles, to a predetermined destination.

The Church has long been a part of billiard history. From its earliest days, the game was often denounced as a sinful, dangerous, morally corrupt activity. In 15th century France, billiards play was forbidden by the Church, as well as by the King. In early American history, actual laws were passed as a result of religious influences outlawing the game in many parts of the land.

Cities at that time were built on plateaus and surrounded by walls; thus, this greatly reduced the areas and regions where ball games could be played. Consequently, many games became miniaturized as billiards was reduce further by moving the game indoors and onto a table. Green cloth was added to the table to imitate grass, they originally had flat vertical walls for rails and their only function was to keep the balls from falling off. They resembled riverbanks and even used to be called "banks". Thus a "bank shot" is one in which a ball is made to rebound from a cushion as part of the shot.

No one knows exactly who, when, or where the first billiard table was built; however, the earliest documented record of a billiard table was made in 1470. In an inventory of the possessions of King Louis XI of France, his table was said to have contained the following: a bed of stone, a cloth covering, and a hole in the middle of the playing field, into which balls could be driven.

The popularity of the billiard table game spread through all levels of French society in the 1500's. As a result, billiards fever spread to England in the mid 1500's. One of the more noted enthusiasts was Mary, Queen of Scots, who was executed for her part in an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth I in 1588. Initially, upon her incarceration, she was allowed the use of her billiard table inside her prison cell. When this privilege was revoked, months before her beheading, she wrote a letter of complaint to the Archbishop of Glasgow. Though she was never allowed to play again, one final wish was granted for upon her beheading, her body was wrapped in the cloth from her beloved table.

By the 1600's, references to billiards were regularly being made in European literature. In Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra", the Egyptian queen suggests to her handmaiden, Charmian, "Let's to Billiards" (Act II, Scene V).

The cue stick was developed in the late 1600's. When the ball lay near a rail, the mace was very inconvenient to use because of its large head. In such a case, the players would turn the mace around and use its handle to strike the ball. The handle was called a "queue"-meaning "tail" from which we get the word "cue." For a long time only men were allowed to use the cue; women were forced to use the mace because it was felt they were more likely to rip the cloth with the sharper cue.

In the early 1700s, a man named Captain Mingaud was imprisoned for political reasons during the French Revolution; however it was in jail where he invented the leather cue tip. With the help of a fellow prisoner, he was able to have a billiard table installed in his cell. It was during his incarceration that he became obsessed with the game, that he devised and perfected his invention. His obsession became so intense, that at the end of his prison term, he actually asked for a longer sentence, so that he could complete his study of the game!

An English billiards teacher, Jack Carr, learned that putting chalk on the tip prevented miscues. Throughout most of the 1800's, the chalk used on the new leather cue tips was carbonate of lime-blackboard chalk. Most chalk used today is comprised of fine abrasives-and does not contain a speck of chalk at all!

In the 1500's, wool had become the fabric of choice. It wasn't until the late 1700's, that England developed a machine for spinning wool. To ensure a worldwide monopoly on the machine and the process, the British Government issued a decree: anyone caught trying to export the techniques or details of the mechanisms, would be sentenced to exile for life. Before the invention of celluloid and other new-age plastics, billiard balls were made out of ivory. Elephants can thank their present existence on the invention of plastics. Because billiard balls had to be cut from the dead center of a tusk, the average tusk yielded only 3 to 4 balls.

In 19th century America, the term "pool" referred to a collective bet or ante. The ugliness often associated with the word (and the game) strangely had more to do with gambling and horse racing, than the game of pool, itself. Back then, a "poolroom" was a betting parlor for horse racing. Pool tables were often installed in the parlors, so the patrons could amuse themselves in between races. The name itself evoked images of betting, fighting, and shady characters in a dangerous world. And that reputation, unfairly or not, became synonymous with pool from the day it was named.

After many of years, people are still passionate about billiards, and there have been many different kinds of games and rules invented from time to time. Not only that billiards combines strategy, concentration and physical execution, billiards is-and always has been-an equal battle of the sexes. One that is far more reliant on subtlety and mental toughness than size, speed and brute strength. It is a game that has a lot more than just moving a ball with the stick!