History of the Game Board Patent
From ancient Egypt to modern day, board games have been a source of entertainment and competition for generations. Take a journey through the history of board games and discover some of the most famous games’ origins.
In recent years, board games have risen to become one of the most popular ways to pass the time. Whether it’s a casual game of Monopoly or a strategic game of Risk, board games have been entertaining people of all ages for centuries. Let’s take a look at the history of board games and how they have evolved over the centuries.
The earliest board games can be traced back to ancient Egypt, around 3500 BC. Ancient Egyptians played a game called Senet, which was a two-player game made up of a board of 30 squares arranged in three rows of 10. The goal of the game was to move your pieces around the board and reach the end. Senet was believed to have spiritual significance and was even depicted in some of the tombs of the Pharaohs.
The history of board games continues to the Middle Ages in Europe, when a game called Hnefatafl became popular. Hnefatafl was a two-player game similar to chess and was played on a board made up of 11x11 squares. The goal of the game was for one player to capture the other's king piece.
The 17th century saw the first modern board games, such as the popular game of The Mansion of Happiness. This game was a morality game that was designed to teach children about good behavior and the consequences of bad choices. The game was played on a board with a winding path and players had to roll a die and move their pieces around the path. The first player to reach the end of the path won the game.
In the 19th century, many of the classic board games we know today were invented, such as Monopoly and Scrabble. Monopoly was created by Charles Darrow in 1935 and was based on an earlier game called The Landlord's Game. Scrabble was created in 1938 by Alfred Butts and was based on an earlier game called Lexiko.
Today, there are many different types of board games available, from classic strategy games like Risk and Settlers of Catan to more modern party games like Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens. Board games are a great way to bring people together and are sure to remain a popular form of entertainment for many years to come.
In 1933, before Monopoly and Scrabble were invented, Louis Coffin of Cincinnati, Ohio filed a patent for a novel board game. His invention enabled people to play many different games; he specifically mentioned “Battleships” and “Scouts.” This was Louis Coffin’s only known patent.
Check out the patent
