Games, Hobbies & Recreational Activities, ROU-VER
Not every passion needs a scoreboard. From hands-on crafts and tabletop challenges to outdoor pursuits, games, hobbies, and recreational activities bring together creativity, skill, and enjoyment.
Games, Hobbies & Recreational Activities Encyclopedia Articles By Title
roulette
roulette, (from French: âsmall wheelâ), gambling game in which players bet on which red or black numbered compartment......
Rubik, Erno
Erno Rubik is the inventor of Rubikâs Cube, a popular toy of the 1980s. Rubikâs Cube consists of 26 small cubes......
Rubikâs Cube
Rubikâs Cube, toy, popular in the 1980s, that was designed by Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik. Rubikâs Cube consists......
Rubtsova, Olga Nikolayevna
Olga Nikolayevna Rubtsova was a Russian chess player who was the womenâs world champion (1956â58). In 1936 Rubtsova......
Rudenko, Ludmilla Vladimirovna
Ludmilla Vladimirovna Rudenko was a Ukrainian chess player who was the womenâs world champion (1950â53). Rudenko......
rummy
rummy, any of a family of card games whose many variants make it one of the best-known and most widely played card......
Rumyantsev, Nikolay Petrovich, Graf
Nikolay Petrovich, Count Rumyantsev was a Russian statesman and diplomat who was also a bibliophile and a patron......
RĂ©ti, Richard
Richard RĂ©ti was a Hungarian chess master, writer, and theoretician who was one of the chief exponents of the Hypermodern......
Saatchi, Charles
Charles Saatchi is an Iraqi-born British advertising executive who is perhaps best known as a collector of contemporary......
Sackler, Arthur M.
Arthur M. Sackler was an American physician, medical publisher, and art collector who made large donations of money......
Salutati, Coluccio
Coluccio Salutati was a Humanist and Florentine chancellor. In his youth in Bologna he took up the study of law......
samba
samba, card game, variant of canasta, in which three 52-card decks plus 6 jokers are used. Unlike canasta, in which......
Santillana, Iñigo López de Mendoza, marqués de
Iñigo López de Mendoza, marquis de Santillana was a Spanish poet and Humanist who was one of the great literary......
Scrabble
Scrabble, board-and-tile game in which two to four players compete in forming words with lettered tiles on a 225-square......
Second Life
Second Life, life-simulation network on the Internet created in 2003 by the American company Linden Research, Inc.......
Sega Corporation
Sega Corporation, software and hardware company created in the United Statesâbut now based in Japanâthat developed......
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, action-adventure video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Activision worldwide,......
Selden, John
John Selden was a legal antiquarian, Orientalist, and politician who was the leading figure in the Antiquarian......
shell collecting
shell collecting, practice of finding and usually identifying the shells of mollusks, a popular avocation, or hobby,......
shogi
shogi, Japanese form of chess, the history of which is obscure. Traditionally it is thought to have originated......
sic bo
sic bo, gambling game played with dice that is widely popular in Asia. During the 1980s and â90s, it spread to......
SimCity
SimCity, city creation and management simulation game designed and produced in 1989 by American game designer Will......
Sims, The
The Sims, life-simulator game, originally designed by American Will Wright for personal computers and released......
SingStar
SingStar, electronic game, or karaoke video game, developed by the Sony Corporation of Japan for two of its video-game......
sixty-six
sixty-six, two-player card game, ancestral to bezique and pinochle, that was first recorded in 1718 under the name......
skat
skat, card game for three players, but usually four participate, with each player sitting out a turn as dealer.......
skittles
skittles, game of bowling at pins, played primarily in Great Britain. Skittles was played for centuries in public......
skydiving
skydiving, use of a parachuteâfor either recreational or competitive purposesâto slow a diverâs descent to the......
slap jack
slap jack, childrenâs action card game for up to eight players. A 52-card deck is dealt in facedown stacks (which......
Sloane, Sir Hans, Baronet
Sir Hans Sloane, Baronet was a British physician and naturalist whose collection of books, manuscripts, and curiosities......
Smith, Harry
Harry Smith was an American filmmaker, painter, musicologist, ethnographer, collector, and mystic. Smith is best......
Snooker
Snooker, popular billiards game of British origin, played on a table similar in size and markings to that used......
solitaire
solitaire, family of card games played by one person. Solitaire was originally called (in various spellings) either......
SOMA
SOMA, science-fiction survival horror video game developed and published by the Swedish studio Frictional Games.......
Soma Cube
Soma Cube, irregular shape formed by combining three or four similar cubes along several faces. There are seven......
Sony
Sony, major Japanese manufacturer of consumer electronics products whose diverse activities have included films,......
Space Invaders
Space Invaders, arcade game created by Japanese engineer and game designer Nishikado Tomohiro in 1978 and produced......
spades
spades, trick-taking card game of the whist family that became very popular in the United States in the 1990s,......
Spassky, Boris
...
spearfishing
spearfishing, sport of underwater hunting that became popular in the early 1930s and after World War II spread......
spelling bee
spelling bee, contest or game in which players attempt to spell correctly and aloud words assigned them by an impartial......
Spore
Spore, electronic artificial-life game, designed by American computer programmer Will Wright, who created SimCity......
sport climbing
sport climbing, a type of rock climbing in which climbers ascend a route that is equipped with preplaced permanent......
StarCraft
StarCraft, electronic game published by Blizzard Entertainment (now a division of Activision Blizzard). Released......
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley, independent farming simulation and role-playing video game created by American developer Eric Barone......
Staunton, Howard
Howard Staunton was a British chess master who was considered to be the worldâs leading player in the 1840s. In......
Stefanova, Antoaneta
Antoaneta Stefanova is a Bulgarian chess player who was the womenâs world champion (2004â06). In 1989 Stefanova......
Steinitz, Wilhelm
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian-American chess master who is considered to have been the world champion longer......
Stickball
Stickball, game played on a street or other restricted area, with a stick, such as a mop handle or broomstick,......
stilt
stilt, one of a pair of poles with footrests, used for walking. Stilts were originally designed for use in crossing......
Stow, John
John Stow was one of the best-known Elizabethan antiquaries, author of the famous A Survey of London (1598; revised......
Straight-rail billiards
Straight-rail billiards, billiard game played with three balls (one red and two white) on a table without pockets.......
Street Fighter
Street Fighter, electronic fighting game series, originally released as an arcade game in 1987 by the Japanese......
Stunt flying
Stunt flying, the performance of aerial feats requiring great skill or daring. (Read Orville Wrightâs 1929 biography......
Subnautica
Subnautica, an open-world survival adventure video game developed and published by the San Francisco-based studio......
sudoku
sudoku, popular form of number game. In its simplest and most common configuration, sudoku consists of a 9 Ă 9......
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros., console game created by the Japanese electronic game manufacturer Nintendo Company, Ltd., in......
tag
tag, childrenâs game in which, in its simplest form, the player who is âitâ chases the other players, trying to......
tarot
tarot, any of a set of cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling. Tarot decks were invented in Italy in......
tarot game
tarot game, trick-taking game played with a tarot deck, a special pack of cards containing a fifth suit bearing......
Tarrasch, Siegbert
Siegbert Tarrasch was a German chess master and physician who was noted for his books on chess theories. Tarrasch......
teetotum
teetotum, form of top having usually 4, 6, 8, or 12 sides marked with distinctive symbols. A teetotum is used for......
Tenzing Norgay
Tenzing Norgay was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer who in 1953 became, with Edmund Hillary of New Zealand, the......
Tetris
Tetris, video game created by Russian designer Alexey Pajitnov in 1985 that allows players to rotate falling blocks......
Texas holdâem
Texas holdâem, a community-card variant of poker in which players attempt to make the best five-card hand of the......
The Legend of Zelda
When Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda for the Japanese market in 1986, it marked a new era in the culture,......
The Wolf Among Us
The Wolf Among Us, five-part episodic adventure video game developed and published by American studio Telltale......
Thomason, George
George Thomason was an English bookseller whose collection of printed books, handbills, pamphlets, ballads, newspapers,......
Thompson, Jim
Jim Thompson was an American-born Thai businessman who turned Thai silk making into a major industry selling worldwide......
Timeline: The History of Mattel
Like many iconic American companies, Mattel sprang from modest roots. Begun in a garage in 1945 by a husband and......
tip-cat
tip-cat, outdoor game dating back at least to the 17th century and introduced to North America and elsewhere by......
Today in HistoryâApril 11: A Mysterious Medieval Chess Set
On this day in 1831, nearly 80 medieval-era Norse chess pieces went on exhibition at Edinburghâs Society of Antiquaries......
Today in HistoryâDecember 26: The Pluto Platter
On December 26, 1967, Edward Headrick patented the modern âflying saucerâ toy. The toyâs story, however, began......
Today in HistoryâFebruary 17: Man Versus MachineâWho Would Win?
On this day in 1996, world chess champion Garry Kasparov defeated IBMâs Deep Blue computerâbut it wasnât as easy......
Today in HistoryâMay 1: The Discovery of Remains on Everest Raises More Questions
It is 1999, and Everest is experiencing its driest season in years. For nine climbers, this means a rare opportunity.......
Today in HistoryâNovember 13: Diversity in Doll Format
As a child, American Ibtihaj Muhammad made tiny hijabs for her Barbies so they would look more like her. And on......
Today in HistoryâSeptember 7: The First Miss America Pageant
As has often happened in American history, what started as a desire to make a buck or two had a lasting effect......
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider, action game created in 1996 by British electronic game developers Core Design in partnership with......
top
top, a toy having a body of conical, circular, or oval shape, often hollow, with a point or peg on which it turns......
Torlonia Collection
Torlonia Collection, an assemblage of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures that formerly made up the collection of......
Totnes, George Carew, earl of
George Carew, earl of Totnes was an English soldier, administrator, and antiquary noted for his service in Ireland......
Tower of Hanoi
Tower of Hanoi, puzzle involving three vertical pegs and a set of different sized disks with holes through their......
toy
toy, plaything, usually for an infant or child, and often an instrument used in a game. Toys, playthings, and games......
toy theatre
toy theatre, popular 19th-century English childrenâs toy that provides modern theatre historians with a valuable......
Trente et Quarante
Trente et Quarante, (âRed and Blackâ), French card game played at Monte- Carlo and French and Italian gambling......
triumph
triumph, 16th-century card game ancestral to whist. In triomphe, the French variety known to English contemporaries......
Trivial Pursuit
One of the most popular board games of the late 20th century, Trivial Pursuit requires players to correctly answer......
trolling
trolling, method of fishing in which a lure or a bait is pulled behind a boat at varying speeds and depths according......
Turkish checkers
Turkish checkers, board game, variety of the game checkers (draughts) in which all 64 squares of the board are......
twenty questions
twenty questions, guessing game in which one player thinks of an object and informs his opponents whether it is......
twenty-five
twenty-five, Irelandâs national card game, related to the classic Spanish game of ombre. It was played under the......
twenty-six
twenty-six, dice game popular in the Midwestern United States from the 1920s through the 1950s, in which a player......
Twitch
Twitch, American online live streaming platform where users can watch video game footage. Founded in 2011, Twitch......
Uhde, Wilhelm
Wilhelm Uhde was a German collector, art dealer, and writer who was strongly influenced by the ideas of Friedrich......
Ulvang, Vegard
Vegard Ulvang is a Norwegian Nordic skier known both for his successful racing career and for his many adventurous......
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament, electronic first-person shooter (FPS) game, released by American game developer GT Interactive......
Vanderbilt, William Henry
William Henry Vanderbilt was an American railroad magnate and philanthropist who nearly doubled the Vanderbilt......
Vertue, George
George Vertue was a British antiquarian and engraver known primarily for his portraits and book illustrations.......