Playing Cards:

Playing cards were probably invented in Ancient China. There is evidence that they were used in Europe during the late 1300s. Some government officials thought playing cards were a nuisance and passed laws prohibiting them. The French developed the four-suited deck that we are familiar with today. The British and the American colonists also used this deck. Americans began manufacturing their own playing cards in the early 1800s. The joker is an American invention, created about 1870 for use in the game of euchre.

The largest playing card manufacturer in the world is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The United States Playing Card Company has been making standard playing cards, children's card games, and puzzles since 1867.