History of Bridge - The origin of playing cards was in China, where paper was invented, dates back to around the year 1120. Originally, cards were used for fortune telling and gambling. Cards were introduced into Italy and Spain around 1370, probably coming from Egypt. Tarot cards, used for fortune telling, were introduced in Italy in 1440. In 1432, Saint Bernardo warned the 'Faithful' that cards were invented by the Devil, later picked up by the English Puritans -- often regarded a 'The Devil's Picture Book'. By 1495, Henry VII issued a Decree forbidding his servants from playing cards except during the Christmas Holiday. Later, Elizabeth the First levied a tax on the manufacture of playing cards, which generated significant revenues for the Crown. By the era of Queen Anne, card playing was in full swing. Men preferred Piquet, women loved Ombre, while the Clergy and Country Squires played Whist. Have you ever wondered why the Ace of Spades looks so distinctive? Well, it was the official stamp of certification to indicate that the proper English tax was paid on that deck of cards (the Stamp Office kept the only stock of pre-stamped Aces of Spades) -- the card manufacturers were forbidden to produce that Ace. This tax hung around all the way onto 1960, yet the unique look of the Ace of Spades still is found on most decks. By 1860, Europeans as well as Americans accepted card rank naming convention, markings on the faces that declared their values. As far as the 'faces' themselves, the French invented two patterns:
The faces on the Kings were based on historical Rulers:
The faces on the Queens are not quite as clear: Zend studio 10 6 0.
The Jacks, or 'Knaves' (Valet) as they are sometimes referred to, are:
Looking at the characters by segment, we see:
For more on playing cards, seeInternational Playing Card Society Also see Card Names Some believe that the 12 Honors of the deck refer to the 12 signs of the Zodiac or the 12 months of the year. They say the two colors (Red and Black) refer to the Solstice and Equinox phases. They see the four Suits as the four Seasons, the entire pack of 52 cards representing the 52 weeks of the year, and the 13 cards in each Suit being the same as the weeks in each quarter of the year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). Bridge was derived from Russian Whist, called was called Biritch, meaning an announcer (players 'announce or herald' their auction). Books on Whist date back to the mid-1700's. The first book was written by none other than Edmond Hoyle, titled Short Treatise Eventually, the French began using ordinary stencils, which could be cheaply produced. Thus, the cost-effective French cards were widely used in England and the United States. For some time, the designations on the 'face cards' varied, but when the French accepted Napoleon as their leader, they reinstated the notion of the King and Queen. However, Napoleon didn't care for their medieval look, believing they should be 'archaeologically correct'. So an artist was assigned to design authentic costumes on the cards. But Napoleon's cards weren't liked by the masses so the medieval cards resurfaced. The first President of the United States, George Washington, enjoyed Bridge. In fact, he enjoyed small wagers on the game, apparently to make it more exciting In 1857, the English began playing Whist in a 'duplicate' method to eliminate most of the luck associated with the deal of the cards. In 1883, American's began playing inner-club matches. In 1891, a duplicate tray was invented, used to hold the cards separately so players could replay the identical cards. The idea was to eliminate chance and provide a true test of skill. The boards were originally called the Kalamazoo tray. Early accounts indicate that in 1903, some of the British civil servants stationed in India created a method of bidding the trump suit, coined 'auction bridge.' A later account dates auction bridge back to 1894, with Turkish or Russian origin from Plevna during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. By 1893, Bridge was introduced in New York, using formal rules that were recently printed by Henry Barbey. Then in 1925, the American multi-millionaire Harold Vanderbilt, introduced exciting scoring bonuses in Bridge (while on a cruise ship). With this change, auction Bridge became known as 'contract bridge'. In 1931, Ely Culbertson wrote the number one and two book seller of any book, titled The Culbertson Summary and the Blue Book. By the late 1400's, Suits began to appear on cards (the Suits -- Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs are know as the French National Suits) -- the first three Suits are presumably adapted from the German Leaves, Hearts and Hawk Bells. Over the next 200 years, the Suits became standardized. Due to the intricate designs on the 'face' cards, the cost to purchase playing cards was originally quite expensive (due to the hand painting) although that didn't keep the 'commoners' from using them. Demand by the populous led to mass production using a technique using the woodcut. The card designs were carved on woodblocks, then inked and printed on paper. These papers were then glued to blank card stock. Around the mid-1400's, the French incorporated suit signs and flat silhouettes in only black and red colors. Incidentally, a regular deck of playing cards are 8.9cm long x 6.3cm wide. But since Bridge players hold 13 cards, the Bridge deck is 8.8cm long x 5.7cm wide. |
- How were playing cards invented? Who came up with that idea? Always wondered if some person someplace came up with the idea of creating these pieces of paper, around which, they could create thousands of different games.
- Playing cards with suits of Spades, Clubs, Diamonds and Hearts first appeared in France in the late 1400s. The French have a story to account for this. They were supposedly invented by a famous knight, Etienne Vignoles who went by the pseudonum of Lahire. He designed them to accompany his newly invented card game of Piquet.
Games were revolving around alcoholic drinking, which involved playing cards. However, there were no suits or numbers on the cards; instead, printed instructions or forfeit for those who drew them. In the 15th century, Madiao was one of the earliest games. They were much like flyers handed out for free on street corners. During the 1870's to the 1890's, trade cards were popular form of advertising. In fact baseball theme trade cards made up only a fraction of the total trade cards. Trade cards depicted many subjects, including presidents, animals and comics.
There is an interesting narrative in regards to playing cards. The Illusionist Marco Tempest argues that the standard 52 deck of cards represents 52 weeks in a year. Moreover, the pips in a deck add up to 365 which is equivalent to the number of days in a year. He adds on to say, the 4 suits in a deck of cards represents 4 seasons in a year. Bet you did not know that! However, here is the history of playing cards.
The first set of cards was recorded in a story called Miscellanea at Duyang Collection. They date back to the 9th century. It is estimated that around that same time playing cards were invented in ancient China. The first playing cards were nothing like today's French Standard 52 deck. Playing cards were in the form of money paper. The cards were both the stake and playing tools. Each suit represented a different amount of money.
Moreover, the first invention did not have suits or numbers to rank the cards but instructions and penalty encoded. It is said that the first card created had no court cards (King, Queen or Jack of suits) or pips of suits (ranked in 10s) but a drawing of Emperor Yizong's daughter, of the Tang Dynasty playing Leaf Game with her in-laws.
Over time, playing cards spread all over Europe and Asia until they become known in Egypt.
The Mamluk playing cards date back to the 15th century. They originated from Egypt. It is reported that the cards were of three different packs, probably they meant to substitute the missing ones. They were named the Topkapi pack. The cards consisted of 52 cards containing the polo-sticks, cup, sword and coins. Each suit of the Topkapi pack had a suit with 3 court cards and 10 pip cards.
Why Were Playing Cards Invented First
French-suited 52 card deck
- How were playing cards invented? Who came up with that idea? Always wondered if some person someplace came up with the idea of creating these pieces of paper, around which, they could create thousands of different games.
- Playing cards with suits of Spades, Clubs, Diamonds and Hearts first appeared in France in the late 1400s. The French have a story to account for this. They were supposedly invented by a famous knight, Etienne Vignoles who went by the pseudonum of Lahire. He designed them to accompany his newly invented card game of Piquet.
Games were revolving around alcoholic drinking, which involved playing cards. However, there were no suits or numbers on the cards; instead, printed instructions or forfeit for those who drew them. In the 15th century, Madiao was one of the earliest games. They were much like flyers handed out for free on street corners. During the 1870's to the 1890's, trade cards were popular form of advertising. In fact baseball theme trade cards made up only a fraction of the total trade cards. Trade cards depicted many subjects, including presidents, animals and comics.
There is an interesting narrative in regards to playing cards. The Illusionist Marco Tempest argues that the standard 52 deck of cards represents 52 weeks in a year. Moreover, the pips in a deck add up to 365 which is equivalent to the number of days in a year. He adds on to say, the 4 suits in a deck of cards represents 4 seasons in a year. Bet you did not know that! However, here is the history of playing cards.
The first set of cards was recorded in a story called Miscellanea at Duyang Collection. They date back to the 9th century. It is estimated that around that same time playing cards were invented in ancient China. The first playing cards were nothing like today's French Standard 52 deck. Playing cards were in the form of money paper. The cards were both the stake and playing tools. Each suit represented a different amount of money.
Moreover, the first invention did not have suits or numbers to rank the cards but instructions and penalty encoded. It is said that the first card created had no court cards (King, Queen or Jack of suits) or pips of suits (ranked in 10s) but a drawing of Emperor Yizong's daughter, of the Tang Dynasty playing Leaf Game with her in-laws.
Over time, playing cards spread all over Europe and Asia until they become known in Egypt.
The Mamluk playing cards date back to the 15th century. They originated from Egypt. It is reported that the cards were of three different packs, probably they meant to substitute the missing ones. They were named the Topkapi pack. The cards consisted of 52 cards containing the polo-sticks, cup, sword and coins. Each suit of the Topkapi pack had a suit with 3 court cards and 10 pip cards.
Why Were Playing Cards Invented First
French-suited 52 card deck
When Were Playing Cards Invented
It is argued that the standard 52 card deck is more popular because of the English and French colonialism. The famous Deck of cards consists of the court cards (King, Queen or Jack of suits) and the 13 ranks of each suit.
According to history, the deck of cards evolved rapidly. Countries such as Spain, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Switzerland and many others had their own type of decks. However, it is the French version which is more popular. The French deck of cards is popular with the Diamonds, Hearts, Spades and clubs that are now widespread.
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