The Men Who Stole Monopoly

Arion, Rebecca and Olly unearth the origins of iconic board-game Monopoly, marketed across the United States by Parker Brothers on 5th November, 1935. Its roots lay in a game designed by Quaker feminist Lizzie Magie in 1902, intended to illustrate the theories of political economist Henry George. Her concept, called "The Landlord's Game," intended to demonstrate the unfairness of the land system. But, though home-made versions spread across the States, the game was only picked up for official distribution after being spotted by entrepreneur Charles Darrow in Atlantic City. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how little Magie was financially compensated, despite having a patent on the game; explain why the London version of the board has been played in more territories than the Atlantic City version; and consider the merits of spin-offs Gayopoly, Drinkopoly, and even the ‘Love Actually’ version… Further Reading: • ‘Lizzie Magie invented Monopoly, so why haven’t we heard of her?’ (The Guardian, 2015): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/10/lizzie-magie-invented-monopoly-landlords-game • ‘The Game of Monopoly is Patented’ (Library of Congress, 2010): https://guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/december/game-of-monopoly-patent#:~:text=Charles%20B.,Parker%20Brothers%20bought%20the%20game • ‘The surprising history behind the board game "Monopoly"’ (CBS, 2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz5H0cg2uXs Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2026. This episode originally aired in 2023. #1900s #Games #Women #US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices