5 November 23

On this date in 1935, Parker Brothers began marketing the Monopoly® game! My 4-year-old grandson "J" took one look at my tie and called out "Papa Seeds! Your tie has Monopoly on it!"

10 August 21

Charles Darrow,  credited as the inventor of the Monopoly® game, was born on this date in 1889. He actually modified "The Landlord's Game" which was invented by Lizzie Magie. He made millions while she got $500, so we can say that his chances paid off far more than hers.

20 November 20

It seems important to note that today (20 November) is regarded as National Absurdity Day, "a day to have fun and do crazy, zany, and absurd things." And so, to be absurd, today's tie helps celebrate yesterday's (19 November) annual World Play Monopoly® Day. I haven't played that wonderful game in quite a while, but we have a variant called Gardenopoly where the squares are named for plots of land and you "build" with clay pots and greenhouses. We started one game early this year, maybe in February, and through occasional spurts we finished it in May. Of course the playing time is not weeks/months -- but we took our turns in short stretches. Maybe we will play the traditional Monopoly® game again soon. As far as we know there is no good reason for World Play Monopoly® Day to occur on 19 November.

11 August 19

Yesterday (10 August) marked the 130th birthday anniversary for Charles Darrow (1889-1967), usually credited as the inventor of Monopoly®. Actually the basic ideas for the game come from "The Landlord's Game," invented in 1903 by Lizzie Magie (Elizabeth J. Phillips), who wanted to teach the evils of concentrating land ownership in private monopolies. Darrow learned about the game in 1932. He modified the rules a bit and designed the game board to feature the streets of Atlantic City, NJ, obtaining his own patent in 1935. Parker Brothers soon became the monopolizers of Monopoly®.

5 November 18

On this date in 1935, Parker Brothers began marketing the game Monopoly®!

19 March 18

On some calendars, today is World Monopoly Day. I'll take the Chance to wear my Monopoly® tie!

24 July 17

Today is "Cousins' Day." No one knows why. Your cousins are the children of your parents' siblings. Thanks to my parents' eight siblings I wound up with 30 first cousins. Beth has experienced having cousins only through me! Your cousins' children are your own children's "second" cousins, and so on down through the generations. (Your cousins' children are "once removed" from you.) Among my Facebook friends I have cousins, cousins' spouses, and cousins-once-removed. My Monopoly® tie calls up memories of many childhood summers when I played that game outdoors on our side porch (in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) with cousins visiting at the time of the Kleppinger Family Reunion!

1 September 16

I used up a couple of great celebrations for today earlier this week, so we'll take this "Chance" to make up for not mentioning the birthday (on 10 August 1889) and death (on 29 August 1967) of Charles Darrow, who is usually credited with inventing Monopoly® before selling it to Parker Brothers (in 1934). Are you ready to "Go"?

5 November 15

Fill in the blanks: Marvin G______? R______ Railroad? Comm________ Ch____? 80 years ago today, Parker Brothers introduced the real-estate trading game called Monopoly®.

28 October 14

I haven't worn my Monopoly® tie for a while. Yesterday marked the end of the most recent Monopoly game at McDonald's.

 

11 August 13

Taking this "Chance" to "Go" and celebrate the birthday - yesterday - of Charles Darrow (1889-1967), inventor of the game Monopoly®.

10 August 11

Charles Darrow, the inventor and first marketer of Monopoly®, was born on August 10, 1889. We all need (?) more Free Parking.

12 July 10

When I was a kid, one the focal events every summer was the Kleppinger Family Reunion, often in July/August. Often my cousins from western Pennsylvania and Florida would come to stay at our house, and those were the days when I learned to play Monopoly® on a card table on the side porch of our house in Bethlehem, PA. That's a long explanation for wearing this tie today, recalling good times with extended relations!

05 November 09

Same message as last year on this date: Today marks the anniversary (in 1935) of Parker Brother's distribution of the Monopoly® board game!

05 November 08

Today marks the anniversary (in 1935) of Parker Brother's distribution of the Monopoly® board game!

02 September 08

This is my Monopoly™ tie. It's connected to August 29 (last Friday) by the death (in 1967) of Charles Darrow, who is frequently credited with inventing the game before selling it to Parker Brothers (in 1934). Darrow designed many of the enduring features of the game board but the real-estate trading theme came from several other threads stretching back to at least 1903.