History Of The Game Of Dominos - The Domino Story

This is the history of the domino game. For some rules of common games, and an explanation of the bones, go to this link.
Domino Game History

I was reintroduced to a favorite childhood game by a friend one recent Christmas Eve. It was a game which I remembered playing with my grandmother as a boy, and seeing my friend pull out the game brought back some fond memories. It was a set of dominos which she had recently purchased, and she was eager to play. So we all gathered around the table and play commenced. And I remembered just how entertaining this simple little game is! Plus it is ideal for the holiday season as it doesn’t require a lot of concentration and there is ample opportunity for friendly banter between players and spectators. On top of this the game is intriguing and fun!

The Domino game, or similar, games have been played in many cultures around the world and the history of dominos is an interesting one. The Chinese are credited with making the first domino sets, and the game is first mentioned in Chinese history around 1120 AD. But there is an Egyptian set which is in King Tutankhamen's Museum in Cairo, Egypt which apparently dates from his reign in 1355 BC. The Chinese domino sets possibly evolved from dice, which in turn were imported from India somewhere in the dark misty passages of time. Eskimos of North America also play a game similar to dominos which they may have brought with them in their migrations out of Asia many centuries ago.
The game of dominos made its appearance in Europe sometime in the middle of the 19th century. There is some disagreement about whether the Europeans imported the game from China, or invented it themselves. There are important differences in the two games. Chinese dominos are larger and a set consists of 32 pieces and is divided into two categories - Military and Civilian. The Civilian category contains pieces which are duplicates while the Military pieces are unique. European sets have had 28 pieces from their inception and are not divided into categories.
Domino Game History

Italy is the European country which has the first records of dominos. The name "Domino" is of French origin and was coined because of the similarity of the pieces to the winter cloak, called by the same name, worn by priests of that period. The cloak was black on the outside and white on the inside, mimicking the black on white appearance of the domino tiles. The first European dominos were constructed of two pieces - a thin sheet of ebony with the holes drilled in it was glued to a bone tile, and further secured with a pin in the middle. Because the piece could be spun on this pin, the pin became known as a spinner. Traditional domino sets still duplicate this pin, though modern methods of manufacture make it unnecessary.
This is the history of the domino game. For some rules of common games, and an explanation of the bones, go to this link.