Well, badminton hasn't been around as long as court tennis, which has been played since Shakespeare's day, but it does have a pretty long history. Precursors include "battledore and shuttlecock" and a game known in India as "poona". From 1873 onwards, the name of the game seems to have stabilized in England (with the help of some key nobility) as badminton.

Learn how the Duke of Beaufort helped out, as you explore the British side of badminton history!