History of Tic-Tac-Toe

Tic-tac-toe is one of humanity's oldest games. Versions appear in ancient Egyptian tombs, in Roman terni lapilli, and in countless cultures since.

The British name "noughts and crosses" dates to the 19th century. The American "tic-tac-toe" became dominant in the 20th. Both refer to the same simple grid game.

Modern variants like There Not There restore tension to a game that classical play has long since solved.