The past is the motivating force of the future
THE ORIGINS: between myth and history...

To reconstruct the history of the Billiards is not sure easy enterprise; it is risked, perhaps, to get lost in the night of the times. In a step of its Odissea, approximately it in the myth ago shakes it years the great Omero (anch' buried) points out to the game of the birilli; and we could consider birilli the which ancestors of the Billiards. That will make sure the 5 happy players of "Birilli". Ancòra, in some bassorilievi carved from Athenian artists, can be noticed of the young people that, holding between the hands of the long sticks ricurvi, contendono one bilia. 1429, even if a lot discussed, seems is the year of the foundation of the Billiards. It appeared, in fact, to Paris a book from the title it "Journal of bourgeois de a Paris" of author disowned in which it was explained like had to be played the game of the Billiards (Billard). It had to make to slide on the land of the bilie pushing them through, exactly, sticks ricurvi. Carl IX, monarch of France, got passionate themselves very many to this game. But already English cultivated from some time a game similar to put into effect them "Croquet", that she originated from the old French game said "Bilie-Maille" (Biliamaglio or Pallamaglio).

                                                           

From many but he wants that the true inventor of the Billiards has been Enrico Deligne. From the "Mall" (English term) would be therefore derived the Billiards and must to the prati greens of Great Britain the color of the cloth puts into effect them. You see therefore that the ideas are not enough clear as far as the true origin of the Billiards. The first table from Billiards of which news is had is that ordering from Luigi XI, monarch of France, in 1470. A preciser news ancòra is that one that informs us like in XV the century one sure Francois Villon, died in 1489, between the other things left to eredi in just the testament "billiards in which the bilia is pushed".In some documents it is pointed out to the fact that in 1500 Naples was one of the first cities in which the Billiards it took voga.

 
An ancient one knows it from Billiards, in Italy. (to Naples). Others followed, like Mantova and Florence.
Indeed in this last one if the nobleman Pandolfo de' Pucci like the first introducer cites some, and ivi the Niccolò poet Hammerings composed a beautiful song (a madrigale) on the Billiards (called also "Gugole", probably from the German "Kugel" whom he means bilia). Others narrate to us that Carl IX, 24 August 1572, during the terrible night of Saint Bartolomeo, abandoned the stick for accorrere on the veranda of its magione to pull of archibugio on the Ugonotti and the tumultuante people. Others cite Stuarda Maria who, imprisoned in the castle of Fotheringay, in the 1587 lagnava with the archbishop of Glasgow of to have been itself, from its executioners, private of its table from game. It is narrated that, the body without head of Queen di Scozia, after its execution understood them, came wrapped in the stoffa green of its Billiards.
In 1514, in the inventory of furnitures of Carlotta d' Albret (mother of Enrico IV king of France) jumped outside covered green cloth Billiards.
E' in the scene fifth of according to action of the tragedy "Antonio and Cleopatra" (1609) of W. Shakespeare that we find the first one I point out historian to the game of the Billiards; in fact, the famous Queen plays one left to Billiards with its eunuco favorite Charmian. But since I point out refers it to a period much front one to the birth of Christ is sure that the Billiards of which is spoken in the tragedy cannot be what practical today and moreover is not sure that the author has not come less, for its poetiche requirements, to the fidelity in the cares of the historical truth.

In 1616, Very Jonson mentions the smoothness of a ball from Billiards in its drama "the Devil is an ass". We must reach XVII the century in order to finally find the explanation of the word "Billiards" in a published book in 1668: "the Billiards are a species of game that is carried out on a table on which are stiff a cloth and the bocce they are pushed one against the other with one aims of called wood billiards". Therefore that tip of wood corresponds to our stick today, even if is much improbable one that it had the characteristics puts into effect them. Sure it is that for "carambolare" one agreed "to hit a target".

Already in the 1591 Edmund Spenser, poet to the court of Queen Elisabetta d' England, wrote: "With says, with cards, with billiards to make unfit with Shutter cocks, miss mind manly wit." making reference clearly the Billiards.  And here I attempt in one difficult translation, because from an archaic English: "With dice, the papers, with the billiards, incapable with galliums of Shutter, I lose the head and the wisdom of the man." In 1610, in France, with the authorization to open premises publics, conferred to the Corporation of "Billiardiers ET Paumiers", also the popolino it could benefit of this classified game until then only to the noble ones.

During the reign of Giacomo English practiced the game of the Billiards with three bilie on a table of Mt. 3,60 x Mt. 1,80. The table and the sides were of wood and there were eight holes. Instead in France the King they practiced the French Billiards, without holes. On ending of 1600, Luigi IV, that it had to maintain one short of approximately 3.000 persons, ago to install Billiards in one knows it of its new palace of Versailles, with 26 candlesticks and 16 candelabri from pavement. H. G. Wells will write later than he: "That Luigi guided its country towards the failure, with an elaborated dignity therefore, than still today it exhorts our admiration." To such purpose one tells that Luigi XIV, that it was one great mangiatore and drinker, was usual to play billiards in order to digest.

     King Luigi XIV   

In fact, its doctor of Fagon name, for fargli digesting the pyramid of vettovaglie swallowed, had recommended to it to play billiards very. And a reason was! in fact, the table measured not less than twelve meters than perimeter, the sticks weighed approximately six times their weight puts into effect them and the bilie were much large and heavy, a lot that in order to make one carambola three sides must have the force of Ercole!   Between the cortigiani with which the king Sun played billiards v' was a sure Chamillart whose force and whose skill in playing was worth to it tito them and loaded honourable, a lot that when it died in 1721 its epitaffio remembered it in such a way: "Here the famous Chamillart lies,
protonotario of its king; it was a hero to the billiards, but one zero like minister." In 1792, Luigi XVI and Antonietta Maria they play billiards in the eve of their imprigionamento. One says that its stick has been foggiata from an only one zanna of decorated elephant and with jobs to gold inlay.  It says itself that strabiliò the King in the end of the game. The writer American John Grissim had to say: " The woman was in great shape, but it he was also its executioner."  Thomas Jefferson would want to install a table of billiards in Hillock but she is contrasted from the Government who forbids the game categorically.  The first book in English dedicated completely to the game of the Billiards appears with And White in "a Practical Treaty on Gioco di Biliardo", to London in 1807.  During the exile to Sant' Elena, Napoleone, gotten passionate and enthusiastic player of Billiards, it receives, with greatest joy, a table from game, express speditogli from England. 

And George Washington even played one memorable left to two with French General Lafayette, in visit from he.  During the regimen of the Terror, captive fact, Mingaud captain, in 1790, passed  the time to write things of Billiards; just to he it must, in the first years of 1800, all a series of regarding innovations stecca.Il the Mingaud thought, in fact, that the tip of the stick, than before finished to mò of a cone section, had to be covered with a pezzetto of leather. This invention allowed to carry out "rétro" and "massé" "that then they seemed witchcrafts. After its liberation, Mingaud captain put itself to travel for Europe, giving exhibitions on the blows that could be are executed with the "diavolerie" from he invented. One watching had to scream "Costui has the hand of the Devil in person!"

News is had that Napoleone deigned the Billiards of its attentions during the short moments of leisure. It also wants that Devout IX alternated the political passions with that one of the Billiards. The passion for the game was involved little little nearly all and also science men; in fact, a great mathematician of that age, Coriolis, published in a 1835 work from the title it "mathematical Theory of the effects in the game of the billiards". In it the first slight knowledge is found on the theory of the collision of the elastic bodies. Etienne Loysson wrote a work on the rules of the game of the Billiards, since noticed (as the great Maurice Vignaux informs us) that "many persons in order well" litigavano"a cause of the game".

  Therefore we reach 1854, year in which the Phelan American it invented the elastic side that was covered from the same cloth that they give time little was stretched on the table from game. Also in that period a society American, Brunswick-Collender & C., replaced the plan of wood with the slate.

E' therefore in this age that the Billiards assume its definitive shape; bilie of ivory (today of synthetic material), slowly of game of slate, covered elastic sides of drappo fine and stoppers of leather to the extremities of the sticks. E' in 1855 that is played to Saint Francisco the first left official one of carambola between the Phelan American and the Damon French, in three resumptions of 100 points ciascuna and on a table of Mt. 3,60 x Mt. 1,80. The game was gained from Phelan to which the longer series succeeded: very nine consecutive carambole!
And it wanted much time before to us that it increased the number of consecutive carambole and was common opinion that nobody succeeded to realize 50 consecutive points. A reason was to the base of such opinion; in fact, even if the diameter of the bilie had been reduced a lot and from some chili of weight they had been removed to the sticks, however it was continued to play violentemente because it believed that the beautifulst carambole were those that, once executed, removed the how much more possible bilie one from the other.
In the 1873 game it was much diffuse one and the first championship of the carambola world was organized in America, just to the Irving Hall di New York, on a table of Mt. 2,85 x Mt. 1,425, dimensions that between the other more are not changed. The games were played to 300 points and the championship was gained from French master Albert Garnier that, between the others, realized one series of 118 points. In the 1889 Vignaux the title published a handbook longest it; "Théorie DES effets, coups de séries, détermination du point de choc, quantité de billes, différence entre point de choc ET the point de visé, angles de déviation, vis" spéciale DES coups de finesse, etc." These the first players; but approximately the origin, the own invention of the Billiards, the opinions are ancòra more disparate. But nearly like all that that alleviates ours it puts into effect them existence, also the Billiards have come on from himself little little, by force of time, evolvendosi and perfecting itself by hand by hand through the generations. Null simpler, in fact, to conceive a body more or little action to roll, spherical, pushed on one more or less flat surface, with the intention of fargli

catching up one scope whichever.
We do not see still the boys, in sure remote ways, to push the oranges on the ground in order to hit of an other or to fall in one hole previously prepared? It does not give to all this the idea to us of primitivo Billiards? And if all that happens on a green Prato, the idea is not ancòra more somigliante with the green cloth? And if we want an other example: who has not observed some time in the taverns countrywomen a quadrilateral on the ground, smoothed enough and smooth, encircled from wood aces, trying every player to approach itself with the own one bilia to the other smallest one? Is not perhaps this primitivo Billiards? Indeed, we elevate from earth this plan, because to be the curves uncomfortable, cover it with a green carpet, a cloth, in order to render it smoother and to make to slide the bilie better; the lateral aces we cover them with something of soft for raddolcire the collision and the noise; is not this Billiards? And because ancient the our fathers would not have had to think to us, because to the monelli of the roman age did not have to rise the idea to make to roll on the Prato or the flat ground an orange, a knob, a body whichever little angular? He seems therefore vain to worry to us to search the first one that had such idea; sure from the Prato, from the quadrilateral of the taverns to the Billiards which hour is, the difference is enormous; but only in the details, the principle is the same one.
Therefore also it is expected that in England a sure William Kew in 1550 used the evening, after the transactions, for distrarsi, to push with yard (the long auction of wood yard, an English measure) on the wide covered bureau of stoffa green, the three bilie that it had for standard on its bottega, and therefore from the diminutivo of William, that it is Bill and from yard would be derived the word "Bill-yard" and therefore Billiard that is Billiards. A po' abstruse, in truth!

The origin of the name and the same game in an other ancient English pastime is wanted ancòra to be found that practiced with spheres on the prati ones (but English in every age have been always fanati us for the sport) and that Bayllard was called exactly. But all these versions forgiveness always in the fatidical night of the times. Sure, nobody ancòra has shown the Billiards that were removed Stuarda Maria or that Carl IX left the night of Saint Bartolomeo, or what he served to Luigi XIV to fargli smaltire its scorpacciate ones. One of these furnitures of that age would be a precious historical document, because it would teach to us in which stage it was then this game, and like it was made and it would allow us to estimate which progresses have been caught up until today. The game of the Billiards is one of noble, pleasant, the scientific ones between the games, and eminent men hold it in great honor, they appreciate it and they taste it. In the 1820 German Wilhelm von Abenstein one was interested the historical sources of the game of the Billiards.
 

The Vignaux contributed very many to the spread of the game of the Carambola. E' with true appeals to that we see the majority today civil, from the noble ones the humble ones, the sums to the mediocre ones, all to love and to practice such game, and much eccellere. The great writer American Mark Twain (photo to sin.) he was an upset player of Billiards and, between first, it made oneself to install Billiards in house.

It has left also a story us that imperniava all on one famous challenge to the Billiards. And are therefore arrive to you also to the cinema, films like "the braggart" skillfully interpreted from Paul Newman, "I, Clear and Dark" and "the Casablanca, Casablanca", both of Francisco Nuti.


To remember, much recent one, "the color of the moneies", interpreted gives Paul Newmann and Tom Cruise.

Abraham Lincoln judged the game of the ispiratore billiards "of health", "scientific" and "ricreatore of the tired mind".  And, for the pleasure of the "puristi of the language" and of some "nostalgic one", the aneddotisti tell of Mussolini that in order to reaffirm, with the purity of the language, the italica paternity of an invention contesa from French and English ordered: "Bigliardo is said, not Billiards! ".

Here some famous paintings equally famous painters:

Today we state that this passion is gone more always diffusing, enticing the intellectuals, fascinating the people.
And it is therefore that the Billiards, eminently civil game can dirsi an index of progress, the civilizzazione and the evolution of the people, because "it subentra here only where well-being and civilizations progress.

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Edited by Giuseppe Di Corrado.
from:  http://www.fibis.it/fibis/ilbiliardo/storia_giu1.htm
Translated by Yahoo
History of billiard in in Arabic (coming soon)
 

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