Darts

Darts originated in medieval England around the 1300s as a military pastime, where soldiers threw shortened arrows at upturned wine barrels or tree trunks to practice aim. Early dartboards mimicked tree trunk cross-sections, which, when dried and cracked, developed natural rings with a natural bullseye at its centre. The modern dartboard features numbers from 1 to 20 scattered around the perimeter, but out of order. Success at darts only comes to the skilled, as players score by strategically aiming and hitting certain numbers, also gaining double or triple points depending on which part of the board the dart lands. Two of the most popular variations require a precise finish – players start with a score of either 501 or 301, throw three darts, and subtract their points rather than adding them. A player wins when they end at a score of 0 after throwing their third dart.