Tic Tac Toe

The History of Noughts and Crosses

(The history of Tic Tac Toe)

Noughts and Crosses is a game that has been played in the United Kingdom for several centuries - even if it’s precise history seems unknown. The game has become known (perhaps more popularly) as Tic Tac Toe in American English but I am going to stick with the original name in the main. It may be that the ancient Roman game of Terni Lapilli was an identical game although the evidence is somewhat mixed. It is certainly true that identical grids to the noughts and crosses grid have been found scratched and etched into surfaces all over the ancient Roman empire. However not a single Nought or Cross has been found to confirm the link. It seems probable that Terni Lapilli was played with simple pieces and may have been played with the same rules.