Solution: Banned game projectiles - NYT Crossword

In this installment of America’s history of gratuitous hazards, I bring you JARTS, a Times puzzle debut. Short for javelin darts, believe it or not, this “lawn game” consisted of large darts with sharp weighted points, ostensibly tossed by players at a round target on the ground. However, they were aerodynamic enough to sail several yards past the target before landing on some unsuspecting neighbor like a Scud missile. After they injured and killed several people, and despite the lobbying efforts of the Jart industrial complex, the things were finally outlawed in 1987.