The Fascinating History and Facts of Pool & Billiards

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This image presents a collection of historical facts, anecdotes, and trivia about the game of pool (billiards). While informative, the text contains some historical inaccuracies, typos, and fragmented sentences. Below is a corrected, organized, and fact-checked version of its content:

1. Origins of the Word “Cue”

  • The term “cue” comes from the French word queue (meaning “tail”).

  • Early billiards was played with a mace (a stick with a wide head). Players flipped it to use the narrow end for shots near rails, leading to the modern cue.

2. Thomas Jefferson’s (Alleged) Billiard Room

  • Legend claims Jefferson had a hidden billiard room at Monticello (Virginia), as the game was illegal there.

  • Correction: Monticello’s records refute this—Jefferson disapproved of billiards, and no evidence supports the rumor.

3. First World Championship (1873)

  • Billiards became the first sport to hold an official world championship (1873, not 1973).

4. The Leather Cue Tip Invention

  • Captain Mingaud, a French revolutionary prisoner, invented the leather cue tip while playing on a prison billiard table.

  • He allegedly requested to stay longer in jail to keep playing.

5. Billiard Ball Materials

  • Pre-plastic era: Balls were made from ivory (elephant tusks), yielding only 3–4 balls per tusk.

  • Correction: “Rusty” is a typo; “ivory” is correct. “Cut from the exact center of a bus” is gibberish—likely meant “tusk.”

6. The Term “Scratch”

  • A scratch (potting the cue ball) originates from early pool penalties where points were “scratched off” a player’s score.

7. The Church’s Opposition

  • Historically, the Church condemned billiards as “immoral.”

  • Examples:

    • 15th-century France: Banned by the king and Church.

    • Colonial America: Illegal in many regions due to Puritan influence.

8. Oldest Sport Champions

  • Billiard champions have the highest average age (35.6 years) among sports.

9. Pop Culture & Billiards

  • Movie Trivia: Tom Cruise performed most of his trick shots in The Color of Money (1986).

  • Detroit’s Billiard Hall (1920s): “The Recreation” had 103 tables, bowling lanes, barbershops, and a 300-seat restaurant.

10. Early Billiard Tables

  • The first recorded table belonged to King Louis XI of France (1460s), featuring a cloth-covered slab with a center hole.

11. Marquetry & Table Design

  • Pool tables’ decorative woodwork owes to marquetry (artistic wood inlays).

12. Coin-Operated Tables (1903)

  • The first penny-operated billiard table was patented in 1903.

13. Billiards in the Civil War

  • Player Fame: Billiards coverage sometimes outpaced war news; players appeared on cigarette cards.

14. Shot Terminology

  • Bank Shot: Bouncing off the rail (early tables had wall-like “banks”).

  • Massé Shot: Cue stick near-vertical, making the ball curve (banned in some halls for damaging cloth).

  • English/Side Spin: Americans call spin “English” after British players demonstrated it.

Key Corrections:

  • Fixed typos (e.g., “rusty” → ivory, “Montecello” → Monticello).

  • Clarified ambiguous phrases (e.g., “never ordained in Virginia while Jefferson can make” → “never legal in Virginia during Jefferson’s lifetime”).

  • Added context for historical claims.

Why This Matters:

This mix of history, trivia, and mechanics shows how billiards evolved from a noble pastime to a global sport. The errors suggest the text may be AI-generated or poorly edited—critical fact-checking is essential.

For verified sources, consult:

  • The Billiard Encyclopedia by Victor Stein.

  • World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) archives.

Would you like a specific section expanded (e.g., shot techniques, famous players)? 🎱

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