Many people believe Beer Pong started at Dartmouth College. Like with most games, Beer Pong’s exact origins are largely unknown, but many people think it began around the 1950s in Dartmouth. It makes sense that the game originated in a college, since it’s popular among young people. There’s Debate As to Which College Beer Pong Originated. Some believe Beer Pong was started in the 1970s by the Delta Upsilon fraternity at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. However, as previously mentioned though, Dartmouth College usually gets the credit. Wherever it originated, we can likely say for sure that its origins lie at a collegial institution.
Another theory about Beer Pong’s origin is that it is named after the Lebanese capital, specifically concerning the Lebanese war in the 1980s. This is because one of the many names of beer pong is “Beirut.” People related the balls landing in the cups to bombs from the war that fell on the city of Beirut and the surrounding areas.
If you play beer pong with a “Death Cup,” make sure you chug your beer—fast. The Death Cup refers to any cup that’s been sunk but has yet to be fully consumed. Should a player sink a ball into the unfinished cup, the game is immediately over. This rule incentivizes all players to finish their drinks fast and holds everyone accountable for every beer.