30% of all pocket billiards players are women - Transcript Telegram - 1/14/1960

Harold Worst - Billiard players have asked me why I haven't been more active as a champion.  Well, I would be out playing 8 months of the year away from home, if I could make $50,000 ($530,000 in 2025$). Except it can't be done" - Chicago Tribune - 2/10/1960

Carom billiards became to easy because players would get two balls together in one part of the table and scoring became monotonous and simple.  Then the game of balk-line billiards, dividing the table into 32 equal squares.  In balk-line billiards, if a player gets two balls in the same square, he must throw one out if he scores twice (18-2) or once (18-1).  When balkline became to easy, the three-cushion game was developed. - The Grand Rapid Press - 3/4/1960

It was Charlie Peterson, who organized colleges and universities in all sections of the country into leagues which played tournaments by telegraph - also during World War II and Korea, he dropped everything to give exhibitions to the GI's. - The Redondo Reflex - 4/8/1960

Mosconi - On the tour of the coast, i played exhibitions in 65 places.  Of the 65, only 5 were exclusively billiards.  The other 60 were new bowling plants who had bought 8 - 16 billiard tables.  People were just playing to wait for a lane to open - Chicago Tribune - 1/10/1961

The Hustler - starring Paul Newman released - The Montreal Star - 2/12/1961

Jackie Gleason will be seen on television in a match with Willie Mosconi.  It is said that Gleason is not exactly a bum at billiards - The Miami Herald - 2/18/1962

Harold Worst retained his claim to the world's three cushion championship by outscoring Mrs. Masuko Katsura of San Francisco 50-31, in the seventh and final match - The Fresno Bee - 3/19/1961

Philosopher Herbert Spence - "To play billiards well is a sign of a ill-spent Youth"  - Writer Ed Howe - "Nearly every unsuccessful man we ever met was a good billiards player" - Anonymous - "There are no good pool players in heaven" - Eight ball is incompatible with youth, industry and religion" - The Evening News - 1/19/1992

Whatever the cause, pool and billiard parlors went into a gradual decline during the past quarter of a century.  But it now appears that there is a resurgence of interest in the game.  The recent Christmas season was a good one for sellers of pool equipment.  One of the sparks touching off this boom, say manufacturers, is that women are turning to the game - The Time Tribune - 2/21/1962

Baylor University, a religious school, has add billiard tables to its recreation facility - The Miami Herald - 3/29/1962

The modern billiards room proprietor must spend $25,000 ($260,000 today) - $35,000 ($365,000 today) to establish an eight-table room - Cincinnati Enquirer - 6/12/1962

Willie Mosconi, one of the greatest billiards experts to ever live, has established the Willie Mosconi Enterprises primarily to lure the female of the species into one of the last refuges of men only- The Herald News - 1/11/1963

Luther Lassiter sets a record - Straight Pool - 19.2 balls pocketed per inning - The Jersey Journal - 2/21/1963

Luther Lassiter wins his 1st of 7 World Pocket Billiards Championships at the age of 44 - Springfield News-Sun - 4/15/1963 

The famous Detroit Recreation building that housed 144 billiard tables was demolished.  The crane collapsed and almost killed a woman - Detroit Free Press - 12/29/1963

Jack Breit of Houston chalked up another victory in the $19,500 ($190,000 in 2025$) World's Pocket Billiards Tournament. That gives Breit a 9-0 record - The Los Angelese Times - 2/21/1965

The Billiards Congress of America has reviewed many proposals and made known it's intent to set-up a standard format to govern billiards play. Handicap systems are being considered. - National Billiards New - 3/1964

Daddy Warbucks - Hubert L. Cokes - is being held in jail for the fatal shooting of a Washington D.C. sporting goods salesman and former strongman after an argument broke out over a golf game match played earlier in the day - The Indianapolis News - 7/31/1964

The sale of commercial tables and equipment approximated at $20,000,000 (20 M in today's dollars) in 1963 and a 25% increase is forecasted for this year. - The Star- Ledger - 9/30/1964

The Babe, a nickname he got as a child at his father's billiard hall frequented by Babe Ruth and other Yankee players - Daily News - 1/24/1965

Luther "Wimpy" Lassiter will lay you odds 8-5 that he can beat the field of 21 of the world's top billiardist who will take part in the Burbank tournament - Valley Times - 1/26/1965

Luther "Wimpy" Lassiter - "I don't play an exhibition match for less than $150 ($5,000 in 2025$).  Winning a title means you can get $3,500 ($35,000 in 2025$), if you win.  After expenses and taxes, you will last about 2 months."

The Professional Billiards Players Association was formed last year and has about 35-40 players.  Lassiter hopes the results will bring bigger tournaments and bigger purses.
Los Angeles Evening Citizen News - 2/4/1965

"Daddy Warbucks" Hubert L. Cokes - wealthy Evansville oil man, 66, won a directed verdict of acquittal in Vanderburgh Circuit Court just 2 hours after testimony began in his involuntary manslaughter trial - Linton Daily Citizen - 3/2/1965

Willie Mosconi retired undefeated after winning the world pocket-billiards championship 15 times, he holds the record of high exhibition runs of 526 balls.  He is now a consultant to the Brunswick Corporation - The Register - 12/5/1965

During a marathon match, Mosconi, while waiting for his turn at the table stepped out for some toast and coffee which he munched with great relish-and noise-within earshot of Greenleaf, who was listing badly with Port and Muscatel at that time.  Enraged, Greenleaf turned and flung a cube ball at Mosconi. It missed, and was the only shot Greenleaf had missed in a half-hour - Detroit Free Press - 4/16/1966

The three cushion billiards champion at the turn of the century. He was the only one to hold both the billiards and pocket pool championships at the same time. - Daily News - 5/22/1966

Harold Worst, the only man to capture all three championships - World Three Cushion - National Snooker Crown - All Around Pocket Billiards - died of cancer at 37 - The Miami Herald - 6/10/1966

Harold Worst wanted people to see the difference between a tournament type player and a so-called hustler. All his life Harold worked to raise the public image of billiards. He had a conservative, Puritan type upbringing and he knew many of his friends did not have a tolerance for billiards - Battle Creek Enquirer - 7/10/1966

Long Beach International Open - 45 players - 14.1 Pocket Billiards, nine-ball and One Pocket, first place in each division will get $1,500 ($14,000 in 2025$) - Valley News - 1/5/1967

Jimmy Caras won the championship at the US Open Pocket Billiards tournament - defeating Luther Lassiter - Dayton Daily News - 6/1/1967

Only 40 years ago, there were 4 times as many poolrooms as there are now., and, on a per capita basis,10 times as many pool tables. - Chicago Tribune - 8/20/1967

Luther Lassiter won his 7th and last World Pocket Billiards Championship - The Buffalo News - 12/2/1967

Lou Butera, holder of the world's speed billiards' shooting mark, 93 balls in 8 minutes - The Tribune - 1/17/1968

World's richest tournament, Stardust US Open. Winner could wing $10,000 ($90,000 2025$).  Eddie "Knoxville Bear" Taylor will defend his title. - National Billiards News - 2/1968

9 years old Jean Baluka, of Brookline, NY, known as the "Princess of Billiards", made her tournament debut defeating Jeane Ann Williams of Lansing 75-69 - Dailey Times Advocate - 10/8/1968

Ruth McGinnis was acknowledged as the greatest woman pocket billiards player in the world during the 1930's - The Times Tribune - 12/29/1968

Minnesota Fats host a syndicated half-hour TV show called "Celebrity Billiards" which is shown around the country.  He plays pool with top names in films - Republican and Herald - 1/22/1969

Ed Kelly, Las Vega, won the 1969 World Invitational Pocket Billiards Championship.  Kelly ran 108 balls to break up the tight duel with Joe Balis. - The Post Standard - 2/24/1969

Hall of Famer, Lou "Machine Gun" Butera - He takes a shot and before the cue ball barely stops rolling, he's making his stroke for the next one.  He almost runs around the table - The Post-Standard - 4/28/1969

Max, a big Greek guy from Midtown Billiards - "Awe, there's no money in competition.  You get to play every 3 months and maybe they give you $50 bucks, $100 bucks. Hustling, that's where the money is." - The Toronto Star - 2/10/1969