Table football

Table football, also known as foosball and many other names, is a table-top sport that is based on association football (soccer). Although patents for similar games may exist from as far back as the 1890s, the game of Table Football as we know it today was first invented in 1922 and patented in 1923 (UK patent no. 205,991 application: dated 14 October 1922 and accepted: 1 November 1923) by an Englishman by the name of Harold S. Thornton of North... more

Table football, also known as foosball and many other names, is a table-top sport that is based on association football (soccer). Although patents for similar games may exist from as far back as the 1890s, the game of Table Football as we know it today was first invented in 1922 and patented in 1923 (UK patent no. 205,991 application: dated 14 October 1922 and accepted: 1 November 1923) by an Englishman by the name of Harold S. Thornton of North London (1895-1951). The concept was conceived after Harold had been to a Spurs football match (he was an avid supporter). He wanted to provide a game that replicated football that could be played at home. The inspiration came from a box of matches; by laying the matches across the box he had formed the basis of his game. His uncle (United States resident Louis P. Thornton, who lived in Portland, Oregon) visited Harold and took the inspiration back to the States where it was patented in 1927 (United States Patent Office No. 1,615,491). The... less