The pool table has been around since the beginning, even though no one knows the inventor. The earliest written records about the game date back at least to the 1500s in Northern Europe. The game became popular with men and women of all ages. It is still very popular in the United States, where it has been for many years.
The original version of pool was played with grass or a board having a hole at the center. It was played using object balls that had numbers from 1 to 15. In that the player was able to push the ball, rather than strike it, the game was very similar to croquet. In the 1600s, people began using a wooden stick called a "mace" to strike the ball.
The game was made more fun by the addition of a cuestick and a wooden hoop as well as the use of the balls. The game became extremely popular in Europe, and it spread to America. The game was popularized worldwide only after the Industrial Revolution.
Although the history of the game is not clear, there are many people who contributed to its creation. First, King Louis XI from France is credited for inventing indoor billiard tables. The game also developed into a popular pastime in England, which grew in popularity after the Industrial Revolution. The French nobility loved the game.
The popularity of the game grew in America after it was first introduced. Many of the first settlers brought billiards to the United States. Tournaments were held across the country. The game became more popular in better saloons. However, the equipment was costly and prohibitive for lower income people.
The game's past was further complicated by the introduction of ivory as a material for ball. Ivory was originally made from elephant tusks. Ivory became more popular in the 17th century, but it was not indestructible and tended to crack when struck with excessive force.
In 1920s, the original pool balls made of ivory were replaced by a different ball material. This ball material was a combination of nitrocellulose (camphor) and could explode when hit with extreme force.
This new ball material is called a composite. Although it wasn’t very stable the nitrocellulose offered a cheaper option to ivory. After some time, the stick was abandoned along with the hoop. The cue tip also became a leather tip to improve ball hitting.
The game developed and became popular in America in the late 1800s. John Wesley Hyatt was a billiards player who invented a ball of camphor and nitrogencellulose in the late 1870s. This ball material was unstable, and it could explode if hit with extreme force.
Michael Phelan, an accomplished pool player, was also a key figure in the game’s development. Phelan's father emigrated from Ireland to the United States in 1883, and Michael followed him into the pool hall business. Eventually, he wrote a book on pool, which inspired a new generation of players to move away from ivory balls.