It was an ordinary day. Reading about one of my all-time favorite board games, Monopoly. Game was actually known as "The Landlord's Game" and was developed by a young woman by the name of Elizabeth (Magie) Phillips who was an American game designer, writer and feminist.
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| The Landlord's Gameboard. |
The Landlord's Game was meant to illustrate teachings of the progressive era economist Henry George. Elizabeth was born in Macomb, Illinois in 1866 to James K. Magie, a newspaper publisher and abolitionist who accompanied Abraham Lincoln as he traveled around Illinois in the late 1850s debating politics with Stephen Douglas. After moving to the Washington, D.C. and Maryland areas in the early 1880s, she worked as a stenographer and typist at the Dead Letter Office.  |
| Elizabeth (Magie) Phillips |
She also wrote short stories and poetry, was a comedian, stage actress, feminist and engineer. At the age of 26 she received a patent for her invention that made the typewriting process easier by allowing paper to go through the rollers more easily. She also worked as a news reporter for a brief time in the early 1900s. At the age of 44 she married Albert Wallace Phillips. In 1903 she applied to the US Patent Offie for a patent on her board game she called The Landlord's Game. She was granted U.S. Patent 748,626 on January 5, 1904. The game was designed to demonstrate the economic ill effects of land monopolist and the use of land value tax as a remedy for it. Originally, the goal of the game was to simply obtain wealth, but in following patents, the game developed to eventually have two different settings: one being the monopolist set up (known as Monopoly) where the goal was to own industries, create monopolies and win by forcing others out of their industries and the other being the anti-monopolist setup (known as Prosperity) where the goal was to create products and interact with opponents. The game would later go on to become the Monopoly board game.  |
| The board game of Monopoly as we know it. |
In 1906 she moved to Chicago and formed the Economic Game Co. to self-publish her original edition of The Landlord's Game. In 1910, the Parker Brothers published her humorous card game Mock Trail. Then, the Newbie Game Co. in Scotland patented "The Landlord's Game" as "Bre'r Fox and Bre'r Rabbit." There was no proof that the game was protected by British patent. In 1924 she and her husband moved to the East Coast and patented a revised version of the game in 1924. In 1932 her second edition of The Landlord's Game was published by the Adgame Company of Washington D.C. This version included both Monoply and Prosperity. In 1937 she developed "Bargain Day" and "King's Men." Magie died at the age of 81 in 1937 and was buried with her husband in Columbia Gardens Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. She was not credited for the impact that she had on the board game community and American culture. Actually, Charles Darrow claimed "Monopoly" and "The Landlord's Game" saying he had invented the games in his basement. Maggie spoke out against Mr. Darrow, but it didn't seem to make much difference. Darrow was given the credit for the invention of Monopoly until a Mr. Ralph Anspach discovered Magie's patents and her relation to the Monopoly game. Eventually her game known as "The Landlord's Game" was given more attention and she posthumously received credit for one of the most popular board games. As far as the game of "Monopoly," I assume Parker Borthers and Darrow were credited with the invention of that game.  |
| Mr. Darrow's Monopoly board. |
She did receive acknowledgement for the invention of the circular board game which concentrated on interacting both socially and competitively with opponents. Her board game not only laid the foundation and inspiration for "Monopoly," but also provided entertainment that taught about Georgist principles, the value in spreading wealth, and the harmfulness of monopolies which evidently was missing from Mr. Darrow's version. She was also given credit for inventing word games during a time when women held less that one percent of U.S. Patents, and political material in newspapers to speak against the oppression of women and Black communities in the United States. I have loved the game for most of my life and still enjoy a game of "Monopoly" from time to time. Just love to beat my brother at it! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. |
| This is a Monopoly Game board made in a home. |
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