1. Billiards originated in England in the 14th century. It was introduced to Virginia in 1607 and improved in the 18th century. Initially, holes were added to the center of the table, and later, holes were added to the four corners and edges.
Around the 14th century, it is said to have been invented for leisure by a pawnbroker named Billsyard in London, from whom the English name "billiards" originates.
By the end of the 18th century, billiards had become a popular game in England.
In the early 19th century, the world's first public billiards room opened in London.
2. Billiards originated in France in 1510. It was introduced to the United States in 1690, and a second ball was added in 1775.
19th Century
Billiard became popular in the United States around 1800.
Around 1835, billiard appeared in India and other places, but was limited to British and French expatriates.
Billiard was introduced to Japan in 1850.
In the first half of the 19th century, billiard spread to Asia. During this century:
1. Slate replaced wooden tabletops.
2. Ferran (USA) invented rubber rims, replacing wooden rims.
3. Mija (France) invented leather cue heads.
4. Jack Carr (Britain) invented chalk.
In 1868, Hyatt (USA) used chemical methods to create plastic billiard balls.
Snooker was introduced to Britain in the late 1880s.
20th Century
1900, billiards was introduced to China
1903, the British Billiards Association formulated the official rules of snooker
1919, the British Billiards Federation was established
1927, thanks to the efforts of Joe Davis and others, the first World Professional Snooker Championship was successfully held in London. Davis won the championship and received a prize of £6 (equivalent to £200 today).
1940, the World Billiards Federation was established [2]
1948, the American Billiards Association was established in Chicago
1986, the Chinese Billiards Association was established, and local billiards associations were subsequently established in various provinces and cities in China
1987, the first "Jianpai Cup" China International Billiards Tournament was held in Beijing
1996, Xingwei Sports Goods Co., Ltd. and Beijing Sport University jointly established the billiards program in the Department of Sports.
21st Century
In 2005, Chinese billiards player Ding Junhui won the Snooker China Open and the Snooker UK Championship respectively.
In 2020, the first Chinese 107 tournament, the 2020 "Far East·Xingpai·Kangxi Shengshi" Cup Chinese 107 Tour Championship, started on the morning of October 11th in Changchun.
On March 13, 2021, the Asian Billiards and Snooker Federation (ACBS) announced that billiards will be part of the 2030 Doha Asian Games.
