From the ArcaMax Publishing, Trivia Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/trivia/s-342361-359621
Not all dice have six sides -- some are polyhedral other than cubical in shape. They became popular around the early 1950s among players of wargames, trading card games, German-style board games, and role-playing games. Although polyhedral dice are a relative novelty during modern times, some ancient cultures appear to have used them in games as evidenced by the presence of two icosahedral dice dating from the days of ancient Rome on display in the British Museum.
This news arrived on: 05/02/2008