The roots of the modern game of snooker can be traced back to the game of billiards that was popular amongst British Army officers in the late 19th Century.

The very first World Snooker Championship took place in 1927 and was won by legendary billiards champions Joe Davis. Joe then went on to win every world championship up to 1940, as well as the first post-war tournament in 1946, after which he retired from the championship. The snooker World Championship was then dominated by Joe's younger brother, Fred Davis.

The Snooker World Championship

Other legends of the game followed, such as John Pulman in the 1960s and Ray Reardon in the 1970s. It was in the 1970s when the world championships began their sponsorship deal with Embassy and in 1977 the Embassy World Championship was held at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, for the very first time, with John Spencer clinching the title. It was also televised by the BBC wherby the popularity of the sport grew significantly.

There have been many legendary winners of the World Championship, including Steve Davis, Alex Higgins, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan. The most famous final of all time took place in 1985. Millions of people were gripped well past midnight to see Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis on the final black of the final frame.