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Star (Christchurch), Issue 18393, 20 February 1928, Page 14

The Invention of Dominoes. Two monks, who had been committed to a lengthy seclusion, contrived to beguile the weary hours of their confine, ment, without breaking the rule of silence which had been imposed on them, by showing each other small flat stones marked with black dots. By a preconcerted arrangement the winner would inform the other player of his victory’ by repeating in an undertone the first line of the vesper prayer. In process of time the two monks managed to complete the set of stones and to perfect the rules of the game, so that when the term of punishment had expired, the game was so interesting that it was generally adopted by' all the inmates of the monastery' as a lawful pastime. It soon spread from town to town, and liecame popular throughout Italy; and the first line of the vespers was reduced to the word Domino, by' which name the game has ever since been known.