Shuffling through Time

It’s Friday, dudes.
Cue the lawnmowers and garage beers.

🗓️ Today In History

NASA launched Apollo 13 on this day thinking it’d be a routine moon trip. Two days in, an oxygen tank exploded and everything went sideways. That’s when astronaut Jack Swigert radioed in with the now-iconic line: “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” (The 1995 Ron Howard–directed movie about the incident changed it to “Houston, we have a problem,” which sounds cooler but isn’t what was actually said.) Against all odds, the crew made it back alive. Still one of the craziest survival stories in space history.

❓ Trivia

🗡️ Sword Winner

Sound the alarms. Jayce Boatwright, your name just came out of the metaphorical envelope. We’ll be reaching out soon to make sure your prize lands where it should. Big thanks to everyone who threw their name in the ring.

🃏 Shuffling Through Time: The Origin of Playing Cards
By Mark Umstead

Our journey begins in ancient China in the 6th century during the Tang Dynasty, where playing cards were first discovered and recorded. These cards weren’t so much different from flimsy paper we use now to make paper airplanes, but they were initially used primarily for gambling games (not so much different to today). As these cards spread westward as trade routes opened and the world became more interconnected, our set picked up a few tricks. By the time they hit Persia and India, the concept of suits was introduced, and the game was, quite literally, reshuffled.

Europe drew themselves into the game by the late 14th century, with merchants and traders bringing these novel playing cards back to their home countries along with silks and spices. These cards were beautified and bedazzled, and were reserved only for high society and royalty. If you think your customized deck with dogs in costumes is fancy, imagine a deck painstakingly painted by medieval artists. And of course, our royalty, with an affinity for inputting themselves into everything, created three cards to add to the set, including the king, queen, and jack (originally designed to be the worst card in the deck, sorry OC). Europe is also where we saw the development of suits, which were originally swords, clubs, cups, and coins, which eventually adapted to the modern suits we use today.

Almost there, our journey continues on into the 15th century to the country of France, who had very strong opinions about how these cards should work. Because when you think of global card standardization, your first thought is obviously 15th-century France. They standardized the 52-card deck and introduced the four suits we know today: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Why 52 cards? There are many conflicting theories on this, but the most prevalent one is that it mirrors the 52 weeks in a year. Whatever the reason, the French had unknowingly created a template that would spread across the world, paving the way for everything from Poker to Go Fish—and ensuring that generations to come would argue over what card their partner should’ve led in Spades (Looking at you Brock).

Our last stop puts us in the slice of heaven on earth that is the midwest United States, where the game of Euchre was invented and popularized in the mid to late 1800’s. The game needed a card that could beat the otherwise highest ranking left and right bowers, and the Joker was born. And much like his cinematic namesake from The Dark Knight, the Joker isn’t about winning the game; he’s about watching the rules burn. As an Indiana native and lifelong Euchre player, I may not use Jokers in my games anymore, but I’ve seen enough right bowers to know chaos when I see it.

Today, playing cards are more than just tools for games—they’re cultural icons. Magicians use them to defy physics, artists turn them into miniature canvases, and collectors treat rare decks like priceless artifacts. But beyond the fun and games, the evolution of playing cards serves as an allegory for culture itself—constantly adapting, blending influences from different times and places, and evolving into something new with each shuffle. Just as a deck of cards traveled from ancient China to modern poker tables, cultures around the world continue to exchange ideas, traditions, and stories, reshaping the world in unexpected ways. So the next time you pick up a deck, take a moment to appreciate the centuries of history hidden between the suits.

Sponsored by 1440 Media

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