1935 MONOPOLY IS FIRST PUBLISHED
The game that is loved and loathed in equal measure started out life as an educational tool. Its mastermind was, ironically, an American anti-monopolist called Lizzie Magie, who hoped that the game would demonstrate the negative effects of concentrating land in private monopolies. The Landlord’s Game, as she christened it, was published in 1906, and formed the basis of US toy manufacturers the Parker Brothers’ bestseller, Monopoly.
ILLUSTRATION: ESTHER CURTIS