The history of billiards is long and very rich. The game has been played by kings and commoners, presidents, mental patients, ladies, gentlemen, and hustlers alike. It evolved from a lawn game similar to the croquet played sometime during the 15th century in Northern Europe and probably in France. Play was moved indoors to a wooden table with green cloth to simulate grass, and a simple border was placed around the edges. The balls were shoved, rather than struck, with wooden sticks called ¡°maces¡±. The term ¡°billiard¡± is derived from French, either from the word ¡°billart¡±, one of the wooden sticks, or ¡°bille¡±, a ball.
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