For more than a hundred years now, Monopoly has found its way into the hands of players well over a billion times. It all traces back to Elizabeth Magie, whose creation was called The Landlord's Game. Through continuous tweaks and improvements over the decades, the game gradually evolved into the version we recognize today.
There's an ongoing debate about whether Magie's original concept ever received the recognition it truly deserved as the foundation for everything that followed. The Parker Brother's version ultimately became synonymous with the game itself, trademarked and widely regarded as the one and only authentic Monopoly board.
Fun Facts:
- Monopoly has been around the board game for over a century, dating back to 1903 when the first model was made.
- Elizabeth Magie created the earliest attempt at a monopoly board game between 1903 – 1094. Called The Landlord's Game, it was built to illustrate the effects of economic rent and land value taxation.
- Though Charles Darrow received credit for developing the first current model of the monopoly board, assertions that he was the sole creator were dismissed in 1970.
- Wood was the material used to construct the earliest monopoly boards.
- Rich Uncle Pennybags is the actual name behind the iconic character known as Mr. Monopoly.
- The record for the longest continuous Monopoly session stands at an impressive 70 straight days.
- A Monopoly board made its way into space in 2007.