Billiard Balls, Tables, and Supplies

Billiards is a popular game in pool halls, homes, bars and social clubs but most people have no idea where or how the game originated, and those that do may have learned something entirely wrong. The history of billiards is embroiled in myths involving the Knights Templar, the Druids and the crusades, a dangerous and fearful time for Europeans everywhere. Billiards is though to have originated in France as a table top version of croquet and brought to England by the Templar’s in the early 1100s, but there is information that points to the development of billiards even earlier in England and then it was imported to France much later. What is known is that the first pool table still around was owned by King Louis XI. It was largely practiced by the wealthy and nobility who were the only people with adequate free time to pursue leisure activities.

There was a common myth at the time that billiards were involved with divining and magical practiced. This myth may have been aided by the rich practicing it to make it seem mystifying and to complex for the average working man. There is another even more interesting connection however and it goes all the way back to the Druids. They were a nature loving culture that had developed an ingenious system for measurement, even being able to measure long distances. It was a clever system that relied on the position of the stars, horizon lines and a roughly 3-6 foot stick with a metal tip, closely resembling a pool cue and still used in Masonic rituals today.

The Druids had been ruling ancient Britain for over 200 hundred years (probably much longer than that though) and supposedly had the ability to foretell the future. Their understanding of the stars was unrivaled until the last hundred years and they were able seamen. When the Romans discovered the Druids (right around the time Jesus was alive) they feared them as barbarians and took their land and livelihood, killing many and destroying their culture and history while adapting a few myths to liven up their own.

Obviously the Romans didn’t learn what those poles meant (or kept the meaning secret), and didn’t leave anyone who knew their purpose, but they knew the Druids used them and they could divine the future so they gained magical attributes. A magic wand is a smaller version of these poles which are thought to be related to the billiard cues of today.

Another theory is that pool evolved from popular lawn games such as bocce and croquet. The lawn was converted into billiard tables and moved inside necessitating pool table lights. The mallets slowly changed into tapered sticks that were much longer than their lawn versions, the most recognizable billiard supply. Either way, billiards today is incredibly popular and widely practiced in western cultures with access to many different billiard supplies and pool table accessories. Pool table supplies, including billiard lights and billiard balls can be found at many sporting goods stores and online retailers.

Billiard eight ball is one of the most popular games of pool and can be played by almost anyone.

 

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