Games similar to badminton have existed throughout history, from ancient Greece to medieval Japan and colonial India, where a form of the game called “poona” was played.
In the 1860’s, British Army officers posted to India became interested in “Poona” and took the game home to England, where the rules of badminton were set out.
A shuttlecock (shuttle, birdie) is a high drag projectile, with an open conical shape: the cone is formed from sixteen overlapping feathers embedded into a rounded cork base.