<P> Darts were historically used in warfare in ancient history; skirmishers used darts of varying sizes, similar to miniature javelins . It was the practice of this skill that developed into a game of skill . Before the First World War, pubs in the United Kingdom had dartboards made from solid blocks of wood, usually elm . They had to be soaked overnight to heal the holes made by the darts, and it was a messy business for the publican, although darts was a popular game . This changed when a company called Nodor, whose primary business was making modelling clay (which has no odour, hence the name Nodor), started producing clay dartboards in 1923 . The clay dartboards never caught on, and Nodor switched to making the traditional elm dartboards that were popular at the time . Their model of dartboard was not a great success until someone came up with the idea of using the century plant to make a dartboard . Small bundles of sisal fibres of the same length were bundled together . The bundles were then compressed into a disk and bound with a metal ring . It was an instant success, as the darts did little or no damage to the board--they just parted the fibres when they entered the board; this type of board was more durable and required little maintenance . </P> <P> Quality dartboards are still made of sisal fibres; less expensive boards are sometimes made of cork or coiled paper . However, several types of sisal fibre are used in dartboards today, originating from East Africa, Brazil, or China . Despite widespread belief that some dartboards are constructed using pig bristles, camel hair, or horse hair, there is no evidence that boards have ever been produced commercially from these materials . </P> <P> A regulation board is ​ 17 ⁄ inches (451 mm) in diameter and is divided into 20 radial sections . Each section is separated with metal wire or a thin band of sheet metal . The best dartboards have the thinnest wire, so that the darts have less chance of hitting a wire and bouncing out . The numbers indicating the various scoring sections of the board are also normally made of wire, especially on tournament - quality boards . The wire ring on which the numbers are welded can be turned to facilitate even wear of the board . Boards of lesser quality often have the numbers printed directly on the board . </P> <P> Recently, some companies have produced electronic dartboards . These dartboards have electronic scoring computers that are preprogrammed with a wide variety of game types . The board is made of plastic facings with small holes . The holes slant out, allowing the plastic - tipped darts to stick inside . When a dart strikes the board, the section makes contact with a metal plate, telling the computer where the player has thrown . </P>

What do the numbers on a dartboard mean