Concept    From 1934 

Monopoly

Categories: Sport / Games

Evolved from a number of property games but had reached its final form by 1934. Initially marketed with New York place names by Parker Brothers very successfully in America. Waddingtons were granted a licence to market it in the UK and the only change they made was to 'Londonise' the place names.

The early history of the game, in America, is detailed in a book, The Monopolists by Mary Pilon. In 1903 the board and the rules to the game were invented by Elizabeth Magie, a politically engaged woman who was concerned about exploitation by wealthy land-owners. She actually had two sets of rules for her Landlord's Game: one which rewarded those who created monopolies and another which rewarded those who created wealth. Either way the board was the same and very recognisable to Monopoly players today: if you ran out of money you were sent to the Poor House, in one corner, another corner had the Mother Earth square where you collected $100 wages for the work you had performed. She patented the game in 1903 and it gradually gained popularity.

In the 1930s Charles Darrow was introduced to the game by friends, made a copy of it, gained a patent for that in 1935 and sold the rights to a games manufacturer, Parker Brothers. When Magie, now Mrs Phillips, discovered what had happened she was angry but never managed to obtain satisfactory redress.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Monopoly

Commemorated ati

Co-op bank - Monoploy

Victor and Marjorie came to London from Leeds specifically to select names fo...

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Other Subjects

David Brynmor Chiles-Evans

David Brynmor Chiles-Evans

A player at the London Welsh Rugby Football Club who was killed in WW1. 2022: Geraint Llewelyn has kindly allowed us to use this photo and has provided the following information: The photo was tak...

Person, Sport / Games

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Walter Clopton Wingfield

Walter Clopton Wingfield

Born at Rhysnant Hall, Montgomeryshire, Wales. Served in the 1st Dragoon Guards, and saw action in China and India. In the late 1860s he began experimenting with an outdoor version of real tennis. ...

Person, Armed Forces, Food & Drink, Sport / Games, China/Hong Kong, India, Wales

1 memorial
Yosef Gutfreund

Yosef Gutfreund

Wrestling coach. Born Yosef (or Yossef) Gutfreund in Romania. He was part of the Israeli team at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. He was awakened by Palestinian terrorists infiltrating the Olympic...

Person, Sport / Games, Tragedy, Germany, Israel/Palestine, Romania

1 memorial
David Gray Lloyd-Williams

David Gray Lloyd-Williams

A player at the London Welsh Rugby Football Club who was killed in WW1.

Person, Sport / Games

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Marylebone Cricket Club

Marylebone Cricket Club

Cricket's ruling body.  Founded when the first match was played at Lord's cricket ground at Dorset Fields on 1st June 1787.  Most county clubs at this time were exclusive clubs for titled men, 'ama...

Group, Sport / Games

5 memorials