Jimmy Caras, world and national billiards champion, tonight announced that he would not defend his title next month in Chicago.  Caras, 37, said that he wanted to retire undefeated. - The Philadelphia Inquirer - 1/28/1950

Elephants were getting scarce about the time of our civil war. An award of $10,000 ($300,000 - 2025 $) for suitable replacement for ivory was won by John Hyatt when he invented the celluloid ball - the beginning of the plastic industry - The News of Cumberland County - 2/7/1950

Ralph Greenleaf, 13 times World Champion dies of internal hemorrhage at age 51 - Tampa Times News - 3/16/1950

Anrew "Ponzi" D'Allesandro, became a proficient pool player at the time Charles Ponzi, notorious Boston swindler, was in the headlines. He won so many bets that friends dubbed him "Ponzi" and later he adopted the name professionally. - The Pittsburg Press - 4/12/1950

Willie Mosconi retains World Pocket Billiards Title - beating Irving Crane, who set a world high run of 160 - Chicago Tribune - 1/20/1951

During the heyday of his career, Johnny Layton (HOF) has traveled throughout the United States and Europe. He has been in every state at least 17 times. His career ended in 1939 on a wind-swept Chicago street, where he lay after being hit by a streetcar. - St. Louis Globe-Democrat - 1/24/1951 

Willie Hoppe - "If I get it in the grove where I want it, I use a slow backswing and a tight left hand. As a result, I never have to look at the object ball, except on bank shots, where I use the diamond system - Chicago Tribune - 2/7/1951

World Champion, Willie Mosconi, fresh from a 125-point run against Benny Allen, Kansas City, takes on National Champion, Joe Canto, Waterville, NY, today in the Ralph Greenleaf Memorial pocket billiards championship. - Daily Sentinel - 3/29/1951

And the cost of billiards today doesn't reflect the skyrocketing cost of today - for an hour of billiards for two people cost $0.60 ($22.00 in 2025$)  and hour in 1905, and today is $080 ($9.26 in 2025$) per hour - The Times Herald - 1/27/1952

The city won a test of it's blue law yesterday, George Gastellter was found guilty of allowing billiards to be played on Sunday - The Buffalo Courier Express - 2/7/1952

Each table costs the operator $30 yearly in city tax, $20 in federal tax and then the state taxes the room's first (or open) table $15, $10 for the second table and $5 for each of the others.  Thus, 15 tables annually cost $1,215 ($14,000 in 2025$).   It takes a lot of $0.60 an hour pocket billiards and nickel and dime games to make that up - The News Journal - 2/8/1952

YMCA survey showed interest in the game on the decline locally and nationally - The News Journal - 2/28/1952

Paris - A duel with pools cues was fought after one play kept sinking his opponents white 3 times in 3 minutes. The duel lasted 30 minutes, ending with one person going to hospital with head injuries - Sydney Daily Mirror - 3/5/1952

Jerome Keough, died on Sunday.  He was World 's Champion Pocket Billiards champion in 1897, 1898, 1904, 1906 and 1910. - The Times Tribune - 1/14/1953

Little Miss Masako Katsura, Japanese billiards star, leads former world champion Welker Cochran 408 - 400 in their exhibition match in San Francisco - The Independent - 2/7/1953

Willie Mosconi wins 4th straight World Pocket Billiards Title 11th time in 12 years - Ledger Star - 3/13/53

"It was a rough 15 days and now I've got to relax," says Ray Kilgore, the new World's Three-Cushions billiard king.  For the first time in eight years a name besides that of Willie Hoppe, heads the three-rail listing - The Standard Star - 4/10/1953

Jerome R. Keough, one time World Pocket Billiards champion past today - Democrat and Chronicle - 1/3/1954

Mrs. E. Morland-Smith, age 70, of Bournemouth opens her attempt to win the Women's Amateur Billiards Championship for the 3rd consecutive year - Evening Standard - 2/8/1954

Willie Mosconi, read out of his World Pocket Billiards Championship title for consistently refusing to defend his title against a worthy challenger - The Roanoke Times - 3/3/1954

Irving Crane - Since the BCA is unwilling to conduct tournaments, the players themselves plan to do something about it.  They propose to form a Professional Players Association, similar to the Professional Golf Association, to take over the sport and conduct championship play - The Ledger Star - 3/27/1954

Charles C. Peterson, 77 years old, teaches billiards to co-eds.  At Ohio State recently 550 girls attended his 4 day class on billiards.  Michigan turned out 530 girls - The Oregonian - 1/28/1955

2 World Pocket Billiards Tournaments held due to BCA refusing to sanction one of them - Democrat and Chronical 2/21/1955

More than 30,000 halls and clubs in Britain have billiard tables - Reveile - 2/22/1955

A 77-year-old man carrying a 40-year-old cue stick came to town today.  He is Charley Peterson, world famous billiards champion who exhibited his prowess with his 21-ounce maple cue today at the University of Buffalo -The Buffalo News - 3/2/1955

Johnny Layton, 13-time winner of the world's three-cushion billiard championship and twice the world pocket billiard champion, is dead at 69. It is believed he suffered from a heart attack - The Buffalo News - 1/19/1956

9 youths and an owner were arrested in a crack-down to enforce a city ordinance which prohibits minors from visiting or loitering in a place where pool or billiards is played - The Tampa Tribune - 3/7/1956


Fred Davis wins his 8th and last World Snooker Championship - The Sunday Mirror - 3/11/1956

9 youths and an owner were arrested in a crack-down to enforce a city ordinance which prohibits minors from visiting or loitering in a place where pool or billiards is played - The Tampa Tribune - 3/7/1956

Willie Mosconi wins his 19th and last World Pocket Billiards Championship.  Tying Ralph Greenleaf's record. - The Buffalo New - 4/11/1956

Whatever happened to championship billiards?  Willie Mosconi - "The old time room operators made their pile, then sold them to smaller operators, who tried to get along with old equipment.  Next thing you know, property values  and rentals went up and they began to close down.  And another thing, the telecast of bowling, a simpler and more aggressive game to understand put a crimp in billiards interest.  - Chicago Tribune - 1/15/1957

Harold Worst, 28, "Pool rooms kept teenage boys off the streets and gave them something more worthwhile to do than run around in souped-up cars and chasing girls. They were like neiborhood clubs and even a kid looking for trouble couldn't do more than get in a fist fight" - Republican and Herald - 2/7/1957

Circular pool table designed, by a naval officer, to show the correlation between billiard playing and pilot proficiency.  Noting that the circular table would have better dynamic characteristics for flight aptitude. - Corpus Christi Times - 4/21/1957 

Willie Mosconi, quit competition after a 1957 stroke left him partially paralyzed. - The Tampa Times - 11/30/1978

Billiard balls are made of solid ivory checked for flaws.  Cheaper versions are made of ivory dust and shavings, which have been treated with chemicals and molded by heavy presses - Press of Atlantic City - 1/4/1958

#1 Rule of Etiquette - Pretend to concentrate even when you are not, this means no chit chat, no shaggy stories, no wisecracks.  Restrict conversation to comments on the game, and hold them to a minimum - Honolulu Star-Adviser - 2/9/1958

Every billiard table in Japan is in charge of a female employee - national rules.  She sets the table, will bring you a sandwich, or if no one is around will shoot billiards with you.  And she will beat you - Chicago Tribune - 3/14/1958

Wood from the persimmon tree is often used in to make golf club heads and billiard cues - Elwood City Ledger - 4/14/1958

Ray Kilgore, former three-cushion billiard champion, was reported seriously ill in Culver City hospital with a liver ailment. Kilgore, 46, won the championship in 1953 and held through 1956 - The Los Angeles Times - 1/23/1959

"Mr. Billiards", Willie Hoppe - 51 World Championships in 47 years, dies of gastric hemorrhage - The Flint Journal 2/2/1959 

Willie Hoppe - "The greatest event of my career was my victory over Maurice Vignaux in Paris in 1906. Vignaux was a hero and was called the "The French Lion". Vignaux was the world's 18.1 balkline champion and all he required was a side bet of $500 ($15,000 in 2025) to make the match. My father went to all his friends and borrowed money, my mom mended every shirt I had, and I got the cheapest steamship fare I could. - Evansville Courier Press - 2/8/1959

Willie Mosconi - "The trouble with televising billiards is that the sponsors are afraid there aren't enough people who understand it, But, if someone would sponsor it, and a fast game was played, I know it would help bring the game back" - The Boston Globe - 2/11/1959