35 Common Inventions That Are Much Older Than People Think

Most people don’t think about history when they’re playing a game of pool. However, it comes as no surprise that the game of billiards is quite old. It just seems like a classic, old-timey game, doesn’t it? The first written record of billiards dates to the 1340s in France. It took off in upper-class circles, and the rest is history. The classic game gets even more interesting when you learn the history of billiard balls.

Billiard balls used to be made of random materials, like wood and ox bone. However, ivory billiard balls were all the rage in the 16th century. The earliest mention of ivory billiard balls is in 1588. The Duke of Norfolk’s inventory that year listed ivory billiard balls. Obviously, ivory is not in vogue anymore due to the endangered nature of elephants and the torture that usually comes with ivory harvesting. But it was a material that made sense and was trendy at the time.