About
Snooker was invented by British Army officers in India in the 1870s, combining billiards with colored balls. The full rack of 21 balls (15 reds, 6 colors) offers almost limitless strategic complexity. A 'maximum break' (147 points from potting every ball) is one of sport's most precise achievements — requiring 36 consecutive pots without a mistake.
Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record for the fastest maximum break (5 minutes 20 seconds) and the most 147s (15). The World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield (since 1977) is the sport's greatest stage. Snooker is enormously popular in the UK, China, and across Southeast Asia — China has produced multiple world champions since the 2010s.
# Top 10 Snooker facts
- 1Ronnie O'Sullivan's fastest maximum break of 5 minutes 20 seconds was achieved at the 1997 World Championship
- 2The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield holds only 980 spectators — yet the World Championship draws 100 million TV viewers
- 3A 147 maximum break requires 36 consecutive pots — one mistake and it's over
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Ronnie O'Sullivan's fastest maximum break of 5 minutes 20 seconds was achieved at the 1997 World Championship
- ◆The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield holds only 980 spectators — yet the World Championship draws 100 million TV viewers
- ◆A 147 maximum break requires 36 consecutive pots — one mistake and it's over
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