the game of badminton
There was a child's game called battledore and shuttlecock, in which two players hit a feathered shuttlecock back and forth with tiny rackets. The game was called "Poona" in India during the 18th Century, and British Army Officers stationed there took the Indian version back to England in the 1860s.
The new sport was launched at a party given in 1873 by the Duke of Beaufort at his country place, "Badminton" in Gloucestershire. It quickly spread from England to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and made big strides in Europe.
Badminton is a game that somewhat resembles tennis and volleyball. It involves the use of a net, lightweight rackets, and a shuttlecock, which is a cork ball fitted with stabilizing feathers.
It is played by two or four players, on a marked-out area 44 ft (13.41 m) long by 17 ft (5.18 m) wide for the two-player game, and 20 ft (6.10 m) wide for the four-player game. A net is fixed across the middle of the court, with the top edge of the net set to a height of 5 ft (1.52 m) from the ground at the centre and 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) at the posts.
The players hit the shuttlecock back and forth over the net with the rackets. A point and the serve is gained by the side who has won the rally and their opponents have failed to return the shuttlecock. A game is played to 21 points, and is played to the best of 3 games to 21.
Source: BBC