BADMINTON ORIGINATED IN INDIA

Many believe that the badminton game originated in England, and that it is in fact an offshoot of tennis. But while the game's name certainly sounds very British, as does shuttlecock, badminton is an ancient game that originated in India, where it was called Poona! British army officers who played the game there in the nineteenth century brought it back to Great Britain. In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort entertained his guests with the game at a party he hosted in his home that was in Badminton, England. That's how Poona received its badminton name.