Dominoes are a classic toy that has stood the test of time. Children love to line them up in straight or curved lines, then flick them, causing them to tumble one after the other. But they can also be stacked in much more complex designs to create works of art. This phenomenon has led to the term domino effect, which is used to describe a series of events that start out small but end up having much larger-and sometimes catastrophic-consequences.
A domino is a rectangular piece of material (normally bone, ivory, or resin) with either a blank face, or a face bearing from one to six pips or dots, or a combination of both. A standard domino set contains 28 pieces and can be used for a variety of games. In the West, the word domino is most commonly associated with the game of a similar name that involves placing dominoes side-by-side and then rolling a dice to move a domino one space at a time. Historically, dominoes were more popular in the East than the West, where they have been used for both educational and recreational purposes.
The history of the word and the game is a bit murky, but there are some interesting theories about their origins. Some experts believe that the name may be derived from an earlier sense of the word, which in French meant “hooded cape worn together with a mask,” or even more simply, a priest’s black domino contrasted with his white surplice.
In the 19th century, the first dominoes were introduced to England. They were imported from Italy and France, but were made with a different material from that of traditional cards and dice—a mixture of tin and bone or ivory. These tin and bone dominoes were much more durable, and thus better suited to long-term use.
As a result, these new dominoes became the standard for Western domino games. The first dominoes were made of tin, while later ones were often cast from brass and bronze.
Although many people enjoy playing dominoes for entertainment, the game has also been an important tool for teaching kids to count and learn math. Some domino games involve scoring, in which players place their tiles edge to edge against those of opponents in order to establish a total. Other games teach number recognition and counting skills.
When Tom Monaghan took over the company that eventually became Domino’s, it was in dire straits. The previous CEO had been ousted, and the company was more than $943 million in debt. Doyle worked hard to turn around the business, focusing on introducing new products and expanding into international markets. He also worked to modernize the company’s image with initiatives such as the Domino’s Delivery Vehicle, which has been called a “domino lover’s Batman car.” He also focused on employee training and motivation. These efforts had significant success, and Domino’s has become the world’s largest pizza delivery chain. In addition, the company has experimented with robotic and drone pizza delivery.