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 gained popularity with all ages. It has been popularized in the United States for many decades.
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. To strike the ball, people used a stick made of wood called a "mace" in the 1600s.
The game was improved with the addition of a cuestick, a wooden hoops, and the balls. It was very popular in Europe and then spread to the United States. It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution that this game became very popular around the world.
While the history of the game isn't clear, it has been developed by many people. The indoor billiard table was first invented by King Louis XI, France. It became a popular pastime in England after the Industrial Revolution. The French nobility loved the game.
In the 1840s, the game quickly became a favorite sport and was brought to the United States. Many of the first settlers brought billiards to the United States. Tournaments were held across the country. The game became popular in nicer saloons, and the cost of the equipment was prohibitive to the lower classes.
The game's history was made even more complicated when ivory was introduced as a ball material. Originally, ivory was made of elephant tusks. Although Ivory was more popular in 17th-century Europe, it was not indestructible. It also tends to crack when hit with too much force.
In the 1920s, pool balls made from ivory were replaced with a new material. This ball material was made of a mixture nitrocellulose and camphor. It could explode if it was struck with extreme force.
This new ball material is called a composite. The nitrocellulose wasn't very stable, but it was a more inexpensive replacement for ivory. After a while the stick and hoop had to be abandoned. The cue tip also became a leather tip to improve ball hitting.
The game developed and became popular in America in the late 1800s. In the late 1870s, John Wesley Hyatt, a billiards player, invented a ball made of camphor and nitrocellulose. This ball material was not stable and could explode when hit with extreme force.
Michael Phelan, an accomplished pool player, was also a key figure in the game’s development. Phelan was born in Ireland and emigrated to the United States with his father. Michael then entered the pool hall business. His book on pool was published, and he inspired a new generation in pool to get rid of the ivory balls.