Other domino fans include President Lyndon B Johnson who often played the game at his Texas base, as well as Kings, Queens and Presidents throughout history. That particular set of dominoes is now on show in the Tutankhamen museum in Cairo, Egypt. There are many famous domino enthusiasts including amongst others, Tutankhamen in whose tomb was discovered the oldest domino set in the world, dating back to at least 1355 BC. There are striking differences to the versions, in that the Chinese game is based upon 32 pieces, while the Western version only consists of 28 pieces.įurthermore, there is some confusion as to the origins of the name ‘Domino’ with some historians adamant it derives from the black domino half-masks worn in ancient times, while some believe it refers to the Latin ‘dominus’ (the master of the house). It is not clear whether the Western version was based on the Chinese game, or if they were developed separately. In addition to the Chinese connection it seems that a Western version appeared much later although it is not mentioned in the history books prior to the 18th century (first played in France and Italy before spreading to other European countries). It does seem certain that the origins of the game are firmly connected with China. The history of dominoes is shrouded in mystery, although there are definite signs that it existed as far back as 1120 AD in China, some historians claim to have found evidence linking the original game back to 181 – 234 CE, in scriptures about a popular Chinese soldier by the name of Hung Ming.

Dominoes the game