You may be somewhat surprised to find out that the history of Bingo traces back quite a long time - way back to the 16th Century, to be exact. Apparently, Bingo began as a lottery game in Italy called Lo Giuoco del Lotto d'Italia in 1530.  It began to spread across Europe; reportedly France added the playing cards, tokens, and reading numbers.

The 16th Century was actually a pretty decent time to be living in Italy.  Obviously, there was Bingo, and what could be better than that?  But it was also one of the most artistically creative periods on history with the peak of the Renaissance.

Bingo was given its name in 1929 at a carnival in Atlanta, Georgia.  It was named Beano because - you guessed it - players used beans to mark their cards.  Legend has it that the name of the game changed to Bingo when one player mistakenly yelled out "Bingo!"

I have to say, I definitely prefer the "Bingo" name, if only because it does not share the same moniker as a supplement preventing gas and other digestive problems.  What do you think?