Etymology of the word "cannon" is rooted in 60 th, 19 th century and means "to strike, bounce" in Spanish (carambola) or French (carambole). That word "cannon", or rather "karom (decrease) called sighting the red ball, which is still used in this game. Feature of the cannon is the presence of only three balls on the table, which has no pockets. The production of these tables began in the second half of the 19 century. Origin of the cannon is unknown. However, all believe in the legend that a resident of St. Louis (USA) Veymen Crow McCreery began to popularize the game in 1870.
The first tournament was held in 1878. It was attended by two men and one of them was himself McCreery, who lost his rival Leon Magnus. Carom not earned fame among fans of billiards. Permanent tournament has not been played only sporadically. 20 th, 20 th century was a period of booming cannon. All famous billiard players of the times catalyst balls on the tables. Cannon now has a small number of admirers in Europe, Asia and South America. In the U.S. it is common to a lesser extent.