History

• The derivation of the word "billiard" continues to be debated. Some believe it comes from the French term "billiart," or mace stick. Others say it is derived from the French term "bille" for ball and "art" for the art of the sport. Regardless, it is known that billiards started as a French lawn sport, which was enjoyed as croquet is today. Because the outdoor game was enjoyed by so many people and the weather did not always cooperate, billiards was moved inside. It was played on a table with a green cloth for grass. Players pushed the balls with a wooden mace stick that had a handle like a tail---or "queue" in French. Voila! The word "cue."
  
  

Historical Debate

• Some historians say that the French made the game popular, but were not the inventors. Instead, there were lawn activities that go back to the thirteenth century. It is not known if these were for entertainment or perhaps had some religious purpose. Historians have not stopped debating this.
  
  

Invention

• Captain Francois Mingaud, an officer with Napoleon Bonaparte, was sentenced to the Bastille prison because of his political involvement. Somehow he was able to have a billiard table put into his cell. He did many experiments to improve the game, since he had so much free time. He even asked to stay imprisoned longer to make the game even better. As a result, he invented a stick with a square end that made much more difficult shots possible. Then he added a leather tip to the end. When he left the prison, he traveled around France and demonstrated his ability to play the game with his new cue.
  
  

Billiard Hall

• The game billiards moved from the aristocrats' homes to halls in England at the end of the 1700s. The first hall had a single billiard table with just one pocket. The largest hall ever was opened in the city of Detroit during the 1920s. It had over 100 tables, plus an exhibition hall and a 250-seat theater.
  
  

Pool Tables

• In the United States, the term "billiard" began to be called "pool." Linguists believe that this term came from the poolrooms or gambling halls for racehorse betting. All the money placed on the horses was pooled, in order to know the odds and the amount of money to be paid. Hall owners added pocket billiards tables to entertain the people between horse races. placing bets between horse races, and the name stuck.
  
  

Popularizer

• The so-called "Father of American Billiards" is Michael Phelan, who played, invented table design improvements and popularized the game. He was the winner of the first billiards tournament, which was held in 1859. He also wrote the book called "Billiards Without a Master." This was the first American book on the subject, and it set the stage for the introduction of fancy billiard halls.