A Brief History of Darts
The sport of darts began in Medieval England as training in archery martial arts. It is believed that those teaching archery would shorten some arrows and have their students throw them aiming at the bottom of an empty wine barrel.
Soldiers would exhibit their skill at drinking establishments, exhibiting skill and having fun at the same time. News of this new and exciting game spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the upper classes who put their own stamp on the game. Henry VIII himself was reputed to immensely enjoy the game.
The roots of the game in America can, like much of American history can be traced back to the pilgrims. There are reports of these hardy colonisers playing darts on the Mayflower as it made its ocean crossing. In America it was then played avidly whenever leisure time was available.
The great expansion of the British Empire in Victorian times took the game to a whole new level, where it was spread to many native populations who took great enjoyment in the game. Until then it was known largely as an Anglo-American sport.
It was around the year 1900 when the rules and darts began to settle into what they are today, although it really wasn’t until after WWII that many of the rules of darts became standardised.
