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There are several versions that try to decipher where the game came from, but none of them to date could be confirmed. It is believed, however, that it originated in China, invented by a soldier named Hung Ming, who would have lived from 243 to 181 BC.
The first indications of the presence of dominoes in Europe date back to the mid-eighteenth century, when it was played in the courts of Venice and Naples. The pieces were made of ebony, with ivory dots, representing the numbers. Ancient Chinese dominoes feature all 21 combinations that can be obtained by rolling two dice, suggesting that one game may have evolved from the other. In Europe, there are seven more pieces, combining these numbers with zero as well. Some scholars even maintain that, because it is extremely simple, the game may have appeared simultaneously in various parts of the world – like tic-tac-toe.
The name dominoes probably derives from the Latin expression domino gratias, which means “thanks to God”, said by European priests while playing. Currently, dominoes are played in almost every country in the world, but it is most popular in Latin America. In China, it also gave rise to another, more complex game: mah jong.