The History of Throwing Darts

The history of darts, goes beyond the guy in the bar having a few beers with his friends. The sport of darts began as training in the martial arts of "archery". Darts began during the medieval times in England. During the war, bored Soldiers would throw arrows or spears at upturned wine barrels, keeping score among each other.

A game like darts could not be hidden from the upper classes back in the day, and England soon put their own stamp on the game. Henry VIII was known to enjoy the game quite often. So much so, that he was given a beautifully ornate set by Anne Boleyn.
Like much of American History, the roots of darts in America can be traced to the Pilgrims. These hardy colonizers were reputed to have played the game on the Mayflower as it made its ocean crossing. No matter which era you choose, the game has gained momentum in popularity and most played casual sport.

Around 1900 the rules and darts began to settle into what they are today. throwing line was anywhere from 7 ft 6 in. to 8 ft. Also, throughout the early part of the 20th century, there were many different types of dartboards. One thing for sure, they all held the signature shape of the "bottom of the barrel". It really wasn't until after WWII that many of the rules of darts became standardized, but styles and ideas seemed to adapt to their surroundings and venues.

Today, women and men alike enjoy the art of "throwing darts". Scoring while throwing back a few drinks has become a favorite sport among many. Today there are leagues as well as the typical amateur of every pub in America.

In the mid 70's, darts had become so popular in Great Britain that the tournaments were being televised Nationwide. The game was vastly turning into a serious sport with a long list of professional players. This led to more players and larger prizes at the tournaments. This huge growth of popularity led to the creation of major national organizations who governed the tournaments, promoted the sport, generalized their own rules and regulations on the sport and attracted more sponsors. The first of these organizations was the British Darts Organization which was founded in 1973. The American Darts Organization followed in 1975.

Modern day technology hasn't ignored the wonderful game of darts either. Today we have electronic dartboards which can keep score automatically for you, have dozens of game styles built into them, electronic scoreboards, and some of the boards will even talk to you or make fun of you when you throw a "bad dart". These technological advancements have only furthered the popularity of the sport.

I guess it would be fair to say that even Robin-Hood did not realize what a ruckus that arrow throwing would one day create.