Who is the inventor of billiards? Can you tell us the process or story of the invention of billiards? Is the person who invented billiards still alive today?

The origin of billiards:

Some people say that billiards originated in France, others say that it was first produced in the United Kingdom, and some people say that it first came from Spain and Italy. There are different opinions, and there is currently no definite research data. Limited information shows that the earliest billiards game had only two balls on the table. Passing to France, the French added a red ball, and the British followed suit. At the end of the 17th century, the doctor of Louis XIV of France required the king to play billiards after meals every day. Subsequently, the game of billiards became popular in France. Initially billiard balls were made of wood, and later made of ivory. It is said that one ivory can only make 5 balls. In the UK, tens of thousands of elephants are needed every year just to make billiard balls. The manufactured ivory billiard balls must be strictly selected and must be of the same weight, so the price is very expensive! Therefore, ivory billiards is only suitable for the court nobles to play! Later, Hayat, known as the father of the American plastics industry, developed a billiard ball made of a mixture of nitrocellulose, camphor, alcohol and other chemical raw materials, which greatly reduced the cost of billiard balls; then appeared in 1920 A billiard ball made of carbolic resin. Once again, the cost of manufacturing billiard balls is reduced. Since then, billiards has truly become a popular entertainment in the entertainment industry. Billiards started with the earliest two balls and gradually evolved into the current English billiards, French billiards and so on. The more popular British snooker originated in 1885, and this style of play has been going on for more than a hundred years.

Billiards has a history of five or six hundred years. Which country did billiards originate from? Some say it is ancient Greece, some say it is France, some say it is Britain, some say it is China, Italy and Spain, etc. There are many opinions, but they are all based on legends, so it is difficult to be sure. However, it is an indisputable fact that billiards originated in Western Europe.

Billiards In the fourteenth century AD, in the era of Queen Victoria of England, billiards activities were very important. In some wealthy families, not only did they have luxurious and exquisite billiards rooms, but also during the playing activities , and there are strict etiquette for activities, some of which are still in use today. If guests come when you are playing ball, you must open the door gently and enter the room. You must not talk or shout loudly, so as not to affect the player's quiet thinking. Another example is when playing ball, you can ask the other party not to face nn yourself or stand close to you, and uncivilized behaviors such as waving the club casually are not allowed. Billiards is an elegant activity. Nowadays, billiard halls and rooms also have similar express regulations prohibiting loud noises and smoking.

Billiards appeared in France in 1510. The billiards played by King Louis XIV of France at the Palace of Versailles was a "Single Pool", with an arch (Port) and a port made of ivory placed on the table. The ivory pillar is called "King" (king), and a spoon-shaped stick is used to play the ball. Scores can be scored by hitting the ball into the goal or hitting the pillar

Because the royal doctor of French King Louis XIV recommended that the king do it after meals The activity of billiards is good for fitness, so it was loved and cared about by the King of France. Therefore, in the 17th century, billiards gradually became popular in France. This may be the basis for the origin of billiards in France. It is said that billiards was originally played by digging a hole in the ground outdoors and driving the ball into the hole with a wooden stick. Later, it was changed from outdoor to indoor tables.

It has been hundreds of years since the emergence of billiards. It was not perfect as soon as it appeared, but it has been continuously improved and enriched by people over the long-term spread, and has now reached a relatively perfect level. extent. In the past, when we started playing ball on an indoor table, we opened a round hole in the center of the table. Later, we opened four holes in the four corners of the table. The addition of holes also stimulated people's interest in playing ball. Until six holes were opened in the table. round hole. It evolved into the prototype of today's pocket billiards table. During the development of the table, there was also an octagonal table with holes on each side of the table. ***There are eight holes. With more holes, a set of games can accommodate several more people.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the development of billiards began to reach a mature stage. As technology improved, equipment and tools also developed, and many large and small improvements and inventions continued to emerge. As for the billiard table, the original table was an ordinary wooden table. Due to the deformation of the wood due to the influence of the climate, it was difficult to ensure a smooth table surface, which directly affected the performance of the batting technique. Around 1827, stone slabs began to be used as tabletops, resulting in high-quality tabletops that were smooth, flat, and non-deformable.

The edge of the table was originally wrapped in feathers or cotton and nailed to the edge. Because there is no elasticity, it can only play a role in buffering impacts. It was not until 1831 that rubber began to be used instead. In 1835, American Ferran and in 1854, American Bansha Bonneland successively improved and invented regular rubber table edges with good elasticity. Who invented and improved the tip of the club? There are two legends: one is that the bald cue used by the early 19th century belonged to Minquart, a French soldier stationed in India. When he was punished and forced to practice for a long time, he discovered the wooden ball. The bald head of the pole was not easy to use, so a piece of leather was added to the bald pole head. After trial, the effect was very good, and it began to be promoted.

Another theory is that the leather head was invented by the French billiards player Mijia, and chocolate powder was invented in the UK, which can prevent the cue from hitting the slide. The "ball" used in billiards also has a development process. The earliest billiard balls used were made of wood or brass. Later, they were inspired by Indian ivory decorations and high-end utensils, so ivory was also chosen as the material for billiard balls. One ivory can make five balls. According to the demand at that time, it is estimated that more than 10,000 elephants' tusks are needed to solve the problem every year. The amount used is really considerable. Due to the high quality requirements of billiard balls, the roundness must be round, and the weight of each ball must be the same. Due to the influence of the product qualification rate, the price is expensive and can only be enjoyed by a few people in the royal family, which seriously hinders the popularity and development of billiards.

Until 1868, billiards was widely developed in Western countries, and the demand for balls also increased dramatically. A billiards company in New York voluntarily offered a reward of US$10,000 to solicit substitutes for ivory balls. Hyatt, who was known as the father of the American plastics industry at the time, successfully developed plastic billiard balls using chemical methods. This invention promoted revolutionary changes in the billiard ball manufacturing industry. At the same time, he also made a huge contribution to the development of billiards. Therefore, Hyatt was also selected into the Hall of Fame by the United States Billiards Association. When billiards was first played, there were only two balls on the table. By 1775, the French added a red ball, and the British followed suit. At this time, there were three balls on the table. And this kind of gameplay is called "Kailun". The batter can score by putting the opponent's ball into the bag, or by hitting two balls at the same time, which is called "double play". This gameplay is the original gameplay of the three-ball pocket billiards we play now, that is, the British billiards "competition".

The game of billiards in the United States was introduced by the Spanish through Florida in 1504. In 1607, the British brought billiards to Virginia. The French who immigrated to South Carolina in 1690 also brought billiards to the United States. Although billiards was introduced to the United States in many ways at that time, it did not develop quickly and did not become popular until after 1800. After years of research and development, until the mid-19th century, significant improvements and improvements were made to the technology, game methods and rules of billiards, until a major genre of American billiards was created in the world of billiards, which is similar to French billiards. , English billiards go hand in hand, and are now popular in the East and the West.

As for the establishment of billiards sports organizations, the earliest country was the United Kingdom. In 1885, amateur and professional players formed the Billiards Association and formulated the first set of formal game rules. In 1908, the opposing parties formed the Billiards Management Club. In 1919, the Billiards Association and the Billiards Management Club reached a merger agreement to form the Billiards Federation, the highest organization for English billiards and snooker, to preside over the competitions of the two billiards and formulate rules.

The World Billiards Federation was established in 1940 as an organization for international billiards activities. It is headquartered in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and its administrative center is located in Barcelona, ??Spain. The World Billiards Federation is responsible for the world's billiards competition. Billiards activities are carried out in many countries around the world and billiards associations have been established. There are more than 30 countries that have joined the World Billiards Federation and are all members of the federation. The American Billiards Association was founded in 1948 and is the highest governing body for various billiards sports in the United States. It is located in Chicago. In 1965, the association established a Billiards Hall of Fame to preserve important information in the history of billiards and the glorious records of outstanding figures. The first countries where billiards was introduced to Asia were India and Thailand, and later Japan. It was introduced to China in the late Qing Dynasty in the 19th century. Before liberation, there were only small-scale private billiards parlors with a few tables in embassies, concessions, and several major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Harbin, and Fanyang.

After the liberation, there were two small factories in Shanghai, Cai Guoji and Xinxin, that manufactured billiard tables. However, it was not long after the liberation. According to the economic and living conditions of the people at that time, it was too early to participate in billiards activities. So, it lasted only a few years and then it was over. Nowadays, with the rapid development of economic construction, billiards has become popular and developed like other sports. Many sports venues, clubs, entertainment centers, large hotels, and restaurants in large and medium-sized cities do not have billiard halls or rooms. There are billiard stalls all over the streets and alleys in many large, medium and small villages and towns.

In 1986, my country established the China Billiards Association, and various provinces and cities also established local billiards associations. In 1960, the first national billiards tournament was held. In 1985, the second National Billiards Invitational Tournament was held in Tiandang and Shanghai. In November 1986, the second National Billiards Invitational Tournament was held. In particular, the Jianpai Cup China International Billiards Competition held in Beijing from March 5 to 8, 1987, can be said to be a competition where the world's top billiards players gathered. Eight world billiards masters from the United States and eight players from China participated. Contest. The eight world No. 1s include Steve Davis, No. 3 Dennis Taylor, No. 5 Jimmy White, No. 7 Willie Thorne, No. 8 Terry Griffiths, Tony Mio was ranked 10th, Neil Foltz was ranked 13th, and Rex Williams was ranked 16th. Their wonderful performance feasted the eyes of the Chinese audience. In the end, Willie Foltz defeated Jimmy White 5-2 to win the championship. Although eight Chinese players were eliminated in the first round, Zhang Yanbin won one game against Jimmy White. Through this television broadcast, about 100 million viewers across the country enjoyed this high-level broadcast, which sparked a billiards craze in our country.

In 1994, we jointly established the first billiards professional class in Beijing No. 40 Middle School with Xingwei Sports Goods Co., Ltd., which attracted the favor of candidates, parents and society, and received support from the Asian and World Taiwan Federations. . In order to implement the policy of "Chinese billiards going global and facing the future" and to cultivate new types of billiards players, referees and management talents with cultural theories and high technical levels that the country urgently needs, in 1995, on the basis of professional billiards classes, the China Billiards Association was officially established. The first "Beijing Billiards Sports School". In 1996, Xingwei Sports Goods Co., Ltd. and Beijing Sport University jointly established the billiards project of the sports department, creating conditions for cultivating senior billiards professionals in China.