Dating back to Medieval England, darts have a rich history in culture. Here is a quick overview of how this pastime began.

Please note that as this sport goes quite far in history, these dates are approximations. We are not professional historians, we just love this game and the history that comes with it.

• The Crossbow: Invented between the 5th - 7th century BCE in ancient China, these handheld trigger mechanisms were initially made of bronze and used as weapons for the military, eventually making their way to Medieval Europe between 900 - 1100 AD.

• 1300s - Introducing the concept of a target: Soldiers reportedly threw shortened version of the arrows used for crossbows to throw at tree trunks and barrel bottoms. The circular grains of wood found in the trunks and barrels naturally created targets.

• 1500s - From the battlefield to the pub: In Tudor England, darts transitioned from a military pastime to a game played in pubs for leisure. King Henry VIII is often noted as a fan of darts as he was gifted a ornate dart set that he used to play the game with other nobility.

• Late 1800s - Popularity in pubs grows: By the Victorian era, darts were commonplace in many British pubs, however early dartboards varied quite a bit and there was no standardized scoring system.

• 1896 - Not that carpenter: Brian Gamlin, a carpenter from Lancashire, is credited with the creation of the modern dartboard with the number sequencing that is still used today.

• Early 1900s - Let’s make a bet: In the early 1900s, concerns grew as gambling around the game became more common. The main apprehension was the idea of gambling around a game of pure chance. In a famous court case in Leeds in 1908, it was proven that darts was not simply luck, rather a game of skill, which legalized playing the game in pubs.

• 1920s - The global spread begins: Throughout the 20s and 30s, organized competitions began forming across The United Kingdom.

• 1973 - It’s official: The British Darts Organisation was founded in 1973, formalizing the rules of the game and creating the first official tournaments.

• 1978 - A competitive sport: The first World Professional Darts Championship was held in 1978, solidifying darts as a serious competitive sport. The competition was held in the Heart of the Midlands Nightclub in Nottingham and was won by Leighton Rees of Wales, defeating John Lowe by a score of 11 - 7.

• 1992 - Too big for one pub: Top players from the British Darts Organisation split to form the Professional Darts Corporation, leading to faster-paced, more commercially viable events.

• 2000s - Enter pop culture: Starting in the 2000s and extending into modern day, darts exploded in popularity in TV and movies, with shows like Cheers, Friends, Ted Lasso, and Peaky Blinders all featuring the sport.

Darts have permeated popular culture, to the point where they are commonplace in TV, movies, and beyond.
Here’s some of our favorite mentions of darts