Along with paper football and a host of other games, Tic-Tac-Toe is one of the most common ways for people bored in class, or just about any setting, to pass the time. Easy to set up and play, this test of strategy seems to have been around for years. However, if you were to ask around, chances are that no one would actually be able to tell you where the much-loved game originated from. Most people learn the game as children on the paper tablecloths of their local diners, and that’s the end of it.
What you may not realize is that both the game and the name of Tic-Tac-Toe have a surprisingly interesting history. Let’s take a closer look and see how it all comes together.
Tic-Tac-Toe Origin
Note that we separate the history of the name from the actual game play tic tac toe, because those aren’t one and the same. First, let’s start with the game. Some ascribe the origin of Tic-Tac-Toe to the ancient Egyptians, but the most concrete ancient record we have of the game is from the Romans, and the game they referred to as terni lapilli, or three pebbles at a time. With this said, the game wasn’t necessarily identical to how we play today. Rather than writing down markings, it’s believed that the Romans would use tokens, pieces, or pebbles, and move them around the grid to represent the different moves. Much like today, you could see terni lapilli grids scrabbled all around ancient Roman cities.
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