Decor 19

The poet Volodymyr Mayakovsky was a well-known fan of billiards. According to one legend, after losing a large sum once, Mayakovsky gave his opponent a receipt for future fees. He was later pardoned, but the receipt itself was sought after by many enthusiasts.
Peter the Great often played with Pushkin's great-grandfather. Peter the Great kept the table on which they played until his death, but later it burned down.
Stalin was a passionate fan of billiards and often played with other officials. He started an unusual tradition - the loser had to climb under the table. Most often there was Khrushchev, whom Stalin ridiculed for his abilities in the game.
According to some sources, the color of the cloth is due to the fact that originally played by rich people and aristocrats, whose main hobby was golf and croquet. For greater convenience, so that the color of the cloth does not cause irritation, it began to be made green.

The game of billiards is very spectacular and exciting, so it seems incredible the case of the owner of the hall from the United States, Joseph Thomas, who worked in the hall for 35 years and never played a single game.
The first woman to win a championship in the American pool was actually a man, but this fact became public only after his death.
Britain's Paul Sullivan has set a world record. He shot more than 17,000 times during the day. This interesting fact is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
There are many superstitions associated with this game. Players often knock on the table unnoticed to bring good luck, take lucky balls with them and never let others play with their own sticks.
Despite its popularity in the USSR, professional gambling was punishable by law and banned throughout its territory.
The first sporting event in the world to have the status of a "world championship" was the game of billiards.

Throughout its history, mankind has invented many exciting games that have become not only popular, but also found many varieties. Playing billiards is one of them.