History of Badminton

In the early days…
A form of the sport that we know today as BADMINTON was played in ancient Greece and Egypt. It came from 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. British Army Officers stationed in India took the game back to England in the 1860's. The army men introduced the game to friends, and the new sport was played at a party given in 1873 by the Duke of Beaufort at his country place, "Badminton" in Gloucestershire. This is how Badminton became its official name.

Until 1887 the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in India. At that point, an English group formed itself into the Bath Badminton Club, establishing English rules. In 1895, the Badminton Association (of England) was formed to take over the authority of the Bath Badminton Club. This new group standardized the rules which now govern the game throughout the world.

Source: http://www.usm.edu/badminton/History.htm