Billiards, as a ball sport with a relatively long history, is deeply loved by people. And it has undergone different developments and changes in different periods.
There are two different versions about the origin of this sport. One says that it originated in the UK in the 14th century, and the other claims that it originated in France.
Origin in the UK:
The theory of its origin in the UK holds that billiards was first invented by the owner of a pawnshop named Billsyard in London for recreational purposes, and the English name of billiards is derived from this. By the end of the 18th century, billiards gradually became popular among the British people and became a widely loved recreational activity.
Origin in France:
The theory of its origin in France, on the other hand, believes that billiards originated in the early 16th century, specifically in 1510. And they think that the time when billiards became popular in France was much earlier than in the UK.
The Journey of Development: Spread and Changes
The 19th century was a crucial period for the development of billiards. It began to spread around the world and became a global recreational activity.
Development Abroad
In 1800, the sport of billiards started to become popular in the United States.
In 1850, billiards was introduced to Japan and gradually took root in the Asian region.
By the end of the 1880s, snooker was introduced to the UK, further enriching the gameplay and rules of billiards.
In 1903, the Billiards Association of the UK formulated the official rules of snooker, marking the formalization of billiards in terms of competition.
Local Development
Billiards was first introduced to China in the late Qing Dynasty in the 19th century and was known as a “noble sport,” out of reach for ordinary people.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the sport of billiards began to spread across the land of China at an astonishing speed.
In the 1990s, various indoor and outdoor entertainment activities sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Some unemployed young people often gathered together to smoke and play billiards, doing nothing, making playing billiards one of the symbols of idleness.
The turning point came in the 21st century.
In 2005, Chinese billiards player Ding Junhui won the championships of the Snooker China Open and the Snooker UK Championship respectively, becoming a representative figure of Chinese billiards and to some extent changing the Chinese people’s prejudice against the sport of billiards.
In 2021, the state changed billiards from an indoor entertainment activity to a sports competition, thus opening up more room for the development of Chinese billiards.
Since then, billiards has no longer been the “luxury item” of the upper class in the past, nor is it a synonym for “idleness.”
The Road to Rise:
In 1927, billiards entered a new stage of competitiveness. The first World Professional Snooker Championship was successfully held in London. Thanks to the efforts of people like Joe Davis, snooker began to gain prominence worldwide.
In 1940, the World Billiards Federation was established, providing a cooperation platform for billiards sports around the world.
In 1948, the Billiards Association of the United States was established in Chicago, promoting the development of billiards sports in the United States.
In 1986, the Chinese Billiards Association was established, and local billiards associations were also successively established in various provinces and cities in China, marking the rapid rise of billiards sports in China.
In 1987, China held the first “Kent Cup” China International Billiards Competition, further promoting the popularization of billiards in China.
As a sport with a long history and popularity around the world, the origin and development of billiards have witnessed the development and changes of human culture. From being regarded as idleness at the beginning to becoming a competitive sport today, billiards has indeed taken a huge step forward on a global scale.
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