ABSTRACT
Billiards–which dates back to the early fifteenth century, when it was the favorite sport of kings and the nobility–has had its ups and downs over the years. It began to lose favor in the United States roughly after 1900 as pool rooms came to be viewed by the public as hangouts for an unruly, often criminal element. Between 1929 and 1940 the number of billiard centers fell from 42,000 to 8,000. Many state and local governments passed legislation either controlling or abolishing such establishments. The game was illegal in Texas until late 1963. A Long Island town required the operator of a proposed billiard room to provide two parking spaces for every table inside.
