Above, something a little different, a cartoonish cover for the 1967 sleaze novel Hardy O’Toole’s Swap Ranch Assignment, by Matt Clarke. It’s a ridiculous piece of art, with its ram in the background casting a jaundiced eye toward two humans in mid-rut, but we couldn’t resist sharing it. If you actually want to read this doubtless silly novel check Ebay. It was still for sale as of this morning.
1935—Parker Brothers Buys Monopoly
The board game company Parker Brothers acquires the forerunner patents for Monopoly from Elizabeth Magie, who had designed the game (originally called The Landlord’s Game) to demonstrate the economic ill effects of land monopolism and the use of land value tax as a remedy for them. Parker Brothers quickly turns Monopoly into the biggest selling board game in America.