Overlooked No More: Lizzie Magie, the Unknown Inventor Behind Monopoly
As a part of its Overlooked series, The New York Times recently highlighted the fascinating life of Lizzie Magie. Magie invented the game that would be coopted and turned into Monopoly, one of the most popular board games of all time. She wore many other hats as well, most of which were eccentric and surprising, and which showcased her clever, creative, and daring way of moving through the world. For example, she published a short story, took a turn as an engineer, and even worked in a dead letter office. A life straight out Melville, but with a lot more pizzazz!
The premise of Magie’s game, originally called The Landlord’s Game, would be familiar to anyone who has played Monopoly: People move their tokens around the perimeter of a square board, buying real estate along the way, which they can use to charge rent to other players. Magie patented her invention in 1904 — the same day that the Wright brothers filed one for their airplane — and it was published in 1906 through the Economic Game Company, of which she was an owner.
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