Pool Tables Have a History Too

April 24th, 2010 by Tabitha Oscorp

To play a game of pool, you will need to have a good pool or billiards table. This is an elevated table with a flat surface often made of quarried slate that’s covered with cloth. Its surrounded by rubber cushions and was at one time called a billiard board.

Like the game of pool, no one is exactly quite sure when the first pool table was made. As early as 1470, however, King Louis XI of France had one. It had no pockets but only a hole in the middle of the table. That’s not surprising since in the early days pool was played by kings and noblemen. Owning a pool table was a luxury in those days since it was often imported and expensive to make.

The working classes had their own homemade versions of pool tables to enjoy the game. But since these were made of wood, they didn’t last long and often warped in no time at all. Early pool tables had no uniform size or shape, however most were square in shape. Quickly though by the 15th century, pool tables were a common sight in taverns and public places all over France.

The modern pool table was designed by John Thurston of England. He invented the slate bed in 1826 and gave the table a smoother surface. Marble was used by some people, but it was expensive. Billiard slate was heavier than wood, and made pool tables more durable than ever before.

In 1845, Thurston began to make the billiard cushions from vulcanized rubber, leather and cork. Interestingly enough, this came after he experimented with hair, shredded fabrics and feathers to stuff these cushions. The discovery of vulcanization in 1843 changed everything. Eventually, the green pool table cover was also improved with different fabrics, and became the basis of modern pool tables.

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categories: Billiard tables,pool tables,billiard table,pool table

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