From billiard balls to celluloid On June 15, 1869, John Wesley Hyatt, along with his brother Isaiah Hyatt, received a patent for celluloid, the first synthetic plastic.

But mass markets in the western world for ivory billiard balls, combs, piano keys, and commercial trinklets, placed the wild elephant in serious jeopardy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The inaugural women’s eight-ball world championship took place at the Oneida Casino & Hotel over the last five days. What ...