147:, where he opened an elegant billiard hall which immediately became one of the chief points of interest of the city. Phelan continued his success as a player and was again pronounced unconquerable. In 1854, he invented a new cushion, which was noted for its elastic and lasting qualities. To assist with aim, he added diamonds to the table. Tobias O'Connor and Hugh William Collender manufactured some of the first tables as part of a distinct business, and, in 1854, Phelan gained an interest in the manufacturing business, with the company name changed to Phelan & Collender. On April 12, 1859, Phelan won the first U.S. national billiards championship. The company was dissolved by Collender in 1871 after Phelan's death.
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1850, Phelan had come to be looked upon as the most expert and scientific player in the country; and in the same year he prepared a work entitled "Billiards
Without a Master," which enjoyed a large sale, and was the first book published in the US on the science, etiquette, and game rules of billiards.
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His father apprenticed Phelan to learn a trade, manufacturing jewelry. But after attaining the age of majority, and having married (circa 1837), Phelan was determined to adopt the billiards business for a livelihood. As his father had previously died, Phelan became an attendant at a billiard room. By
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at the same time. With much success and liking the country, in 1823, the father sent for his family in
Ireland. Phelan remembered his arrival to the US, as well as the billiard table in one of his father's rooms, and how captivated he was when allowed to shove the balls around with the mace; and thus
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Phelan was determined to produce an
American billiard table that would become the standard model for the whole world. He visited Europe in the fall of 1851, and on his return, in 1852, he had the idea of starting a model billiard-table factory. He left the East Coast in the fall of 1854, and arrived
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On April 12, 1859, the city hosted the first national championship billiard match, with
Michael Phelan of New York defeating local favorite John Seereiter for the top prizeβa wagonload of money at a time when even skilled tradesmen often made only a few hundred dollars a
255:: C. M. Depew's "1795β1895: One Hundred Years of American Commerce ... a History of American Commerce by One Hundred Americans, with a Chronological Table of the Important Events of American Commerce and Invention Within the Past One Hundred Years" (1895)
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1795β1895: One
Hundred Years of American Commerce ... a History of American Commerce by One Hundred Americans, with a Chronological Table of the Important Events of American Commerce and Invention Within the Past One Hundred
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67:, Ireland, in 1819 (some records say 1816). His father emigrated to the US that same year, and established himself in the billiard business, running as many as three or four rooms in different parts of
170:. He was married to Ann, and they had two daughters, Julia, who married Collender, and Maggie, as well as one son, George, who had been a member of Phelan & Collender. Phelan is buried at
231:: H. Greeley's "The Great Industries of the United States: Being an Historical Summary of the Origin, Growth, and Perfection of the Chief Industrial Arts of this Country" (1872)
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Phelan died in 1871. Billiards player, manufacturer and owner of billiard parlors, Phelan was the first billiards star in the US. He was inducted into the
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The Great
Industries of the United States: Being an Historical Summary of the Origin, Growth, and Perfection of the Chief Industrial Arts of this Country
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he dated his billiard experience from that time. He was not allowed to use the cue until he was 15, and then, almost immediately, became a good player.
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Man playing billiards with a cue and a woman with a mace, from an illustration appearing in
Michael Phelan's 1859 book,
243:: S. H. Peabody's & C. F. Richardson's "The International Cyclopedia: A Compendium of Human Knowledge" (1892)
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player, manufacturer and owner of billiard parlors. He was the first billiards star in the US. In 1850, he published
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267:: U. S. Supreme Court's " Supreme Court, First Department" (1874)
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396:(Public domain ed.). D. O. Haynes & Company. p. 655.
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Kenneth T. Jackson; Lisa Keller; Nancy Flood (December 1, 2010).
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
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43:(April 18, 1819 β October 7, 1871) was an Irish-born American
451:. Vol. 17, no. 2536. May 13, 1859. p. 4 col. 5
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479:(Public domain ed.). U. S. Supreme Court. p. 161.
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279:: The New York Times's "A Noted Billiard Match" (1887)
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Selim Hobart
Peabody; Charles Francis Richardson (1892).
304:(Public domain ed.). J. B. Burr & Hyde. p.
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The Irish and the Making of
American Sport, 1835β1920
459:– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
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351:(Public domain ed.). Dodd, Mead. p. 538.
493:The Encyclopedia of New York City: Second Edition
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132:Illustration from Michael Phelan's 1859 book,
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409:"A look at the Detroit sports scene in 1859"
368:. Billiard Congress of America. p. 25.
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365:Billiards: The Official Rules & Records
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88:Historic print depicting Michael Phelan's
322:. Chicago Billiard Museum. Archived from
152:Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
92:located at the corner of 10th Street and
496:. Yale University Press. pp. 639β.
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517:Patrick R. Redmond (January 27, 2014).
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419:from the original on February 21, 2021
198:The Illustrated Hand-book of Billiards
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362:Billiard Congress (January 1, 1998).
654:Irish emigrants to the United States
443:"The Great Billard Match In Detroit"
644:Businesspeople from County Kilkenny
545:"Hall of Fame Inductees: 1992β1996"
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205:Billiard almanac and New York guide
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389:Depew, Chauncey Mitchell (1895).
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547:. Billiard Congress of America
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407:Bak, Richard (May 30, 2012).
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473:U. S. Supreme Court (1874).
211:The American billiard record
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523:. McFarland. pp. 39β.
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185:Billiards without a master
49:Billiards Without A Master
18:Michael Phelan (billiards)
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583:"A Noted Billiard Match"
629:People from Castlecomer
298:Horace Greeley (1872).
448:Sacramento Daily Union
200:(with Claudius Berger)
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639:American pool players
192:The Game of Billiards
134:The Game of Billiards
117:The Game of Billiards
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594:. September 4, 1887
187:(with D. D. Winant)
59:Phelan was born in
591:The New York Times
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530:978-0-7864-7553-7
503:978-0-300-18257-6
375:978-1-878493-08-8
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624:1871 deaths
619:1819 births
61:Castlecomer
55:Early years
613:Categories
217:References
154:in 1993.
98:Manhattan
45:billiards
417:Archived
94:Broadway
598:July 5,
551:July 4,
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320:"1850"
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76:Career
586:(PDF)
430:year.
393:Years
600:2014
553:2014
525:ISBN
498:ISBN
457:2021
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370:ISBN
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.