MAGIE, Elizabeth (Lizzie), American. The original inventor of Monopoly who patented the board game in 1903. Initially, she called it the Landlord’s Game, she was a Quaker and had invented the game as a reflection on the greed of landlords who wanted to own everything (i.e., be a monopoly). Many were circulated in the 1920s and the game became well known, it was the prototype of Monopoly. Then in 1924, houses and hotels were added to improve the game, moralist issues were forgotten after that. This was not the game-version we know today, which was invented by Charles Darrow in 1933, who introduced the unique players’ markers, etc. He got a new patent, after much argument with the examiners. Lizzie also had an invention to do with typewriters.
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