History of Dartboards
Dart boads originally had various designs, and regional variations remain in some parts. The dartboard may get its origin from the cross section of a tree. There are some historical records that suggest the first standard dartboards were the bottoms of wine casks, also known as the game ”butts”. It is believed that the game originated among soldiers throwing short arrows at the bottom of the cask or at the bottom of trunks of trees. As the wood from the casts dried & cracked “sections” would develop naturally in the wood. Regional standards began to emerge and many woodworkers supplemented bar tabs by fabricating dart boards for the local pubs.
The most common numbering plan, has a 20 on top; however, a great many other configurations have been used throughout the years in various geographical locations across the globe. Brian Gamlin devised the numbering layout in 1896 to penalize inaccuracy. The left-hand side, around the 14 is preferred by beginners because it has a concentration of larger numbers on that side.
Darts first appeared on British television in 1962 when Westward Television broadcast the Westward TV Invitational. Darts coverage expanded over the next decade and there were many major tournaments broadcast on ITV and BBC during he 1970’s and early 1980’s. In 1985 coverage of darts declined with the cancellation of ITV’s World of Sport, but it has again picked back up and is gaining popularity.