Continuing with our theme of games for this term, today’s Geek of the Week is Elizabeth Magie, the creator of the first version of Monopoly!
Magie was born in Illinois in 1866. Her father was a newspaper
publisher who introduced Elizabeth to many of the new ideas of the times,
including the work of Henry George (an economist who was an early proponent of
a single “land value tax” which would require wealthier landlords to pay more
taxes).
She moved to Washington, D.C. in the 1880’s, and worked as a typist. She filed her
first patent during this time (for a type writing machine). During this time,
she came up with the idea to create a board game to teach her friends the basic
principles of Henry George’s theories. She filed a patent for a game known as “The
Landlord’s Game” in 1903, and was granted that patent in 1904. That game would
go through several revisions and eventually become the Parker Brothers’s game
Monopoly.
Two additional games designed by Magie were published and marketed
by the Parker Brothers as well: King’s Men and Bargain Day.
Her dedication to finding new and novel ways to teach economics,
as well as her status as a woman inventor at the turn of the century makes
Elizabeth Magie a fitting Geek of the Week!
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