Talk:History of Monopoly/Timeline

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Timeline of events in the history of MONOPOLY(R)

1890s? and 1900s

 * 189?/190?: Elizabeth Magie creates first versions of The Landlord's Game.

1902

 * Game discussed in The Single Tax Review.

1903

 * March 23rd: Application for patent on The Landlord's Game made to the United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

1904

 * January 5th: Patent issued to Magie (USPTO #748,626).

1906

 * First professional publication of The Landlord's Game by the Economic Game Company of New York.

1910s

 * 1910?: The Landlord's Game sent to Parker Brothers for possible publication. George Parker declines.

1913

 * The Landlord's Game published by the Newbie Game Company in the UK as Brer Fox an' Brer Rabbit.

1921

 * First patent on The Landlord's Game expires (after 17 years).

1923

 * April 28th: Application for patent on revised edition of The Landlord's Game made to the USPTO.

1924

 * September 23rd: Patent #1,509,312 issued.

1929

 * Daniel Layman begins selling handmade copies of what becomes Finance.

1932

 * Date unknown: Daniel Layman begins print publication of The Fascinating Game of Finance in Indianapolis, Indiana, through Electronic Laboratories, Inc.
 * Date unknown: Production of Finance is taken over by Knapp Electric, Inc.

1933

 * Charles Darrow gets a copyright on his game, Monopoly.

193?

 * Darrow begins sales of Monopoly through the Philadelphia department store Wanamaker's.

1934

 * May 31st: Milton Bradley rejects the game Monopoly for publication.
 * October 19th: Parker Brothers rejects the game Monopoly for publication.
 * Date unknown: Darrow orders 5000 copies of Monopoly to be printed for the Christmas holiday, 1934.
 * Date unknown: F.A.O. Schwarz orders 200 of the 5000 copies for their NYC store.

1935

 * Parker Brothers buys out patents and rights to The Landlord's Game and Finance.
 * Parker Brothers begins publication of two editions.
 * August 31st: Darrow files for a patent on Monopoly.
 * December 31st: Patent 2,026,082 issued.

1936

 * "Rich Uncle Pennybags" (although not yet named) introduced in illustrations.
 * First editions produced outside of the United States, including the United Kingdom (Waddington), France (Miro), and Germany (Schmidt Spiele).
 * Parker Brothers calls for a cessation of production in December
 * First edition of "Stock Exchange" add-on is produced, which could be used with games other than Monopoly

1938

 * German edition goes out of print due to poor sales (in turn probably due to being denounced by Goebbels).

1941

 * Second patent on The Landlord's Game expires.

1946

 * Rich Uncle is published, giving a name to the character on the Monopoly cards (Rich Uncle Pennybags).

1952

 * Patent on Monopoly expires.

1959

 * Every copy of Monopoly on display at the American National Exposition in Moscow, USSR, is stolen.

1968

 * Parker Brothers purchased by General Mills.

1973

 * First Edition of Anti-Monopoly published.
 * First U.S./"World" Championship held in the Catskills, New York. Winner was Lee Bayrd of Los Angeles, California.

1974

 * Second U.S./"World" Championship held in the Catskills, New York. Winner was Alvin Aldridge of Dayton, Ohio.

1975

 * Third U.S. Championship held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Winner was A.E. "Gus" Gostomelsky, of Skokie, Illinois.
 * First Canadian Championship held. Winner was Susan Touchbourne of Toronto, Ontario.
 * First "true" World Championship with international participation held in Washington, D.C. Winner was John Mair, of Ireland.

1981

 * First Edition published in Austria. This was the first time Parker Brothers licensed Monopoly to be published there.

1982

 * First bilingual Canadian Edition published.
 * Replica of German 1936 Edition published.
 * "Playmaster" electronic add-on produced.

1985

 * Parker Brothers combined with Kenner, spun off from General Mills as Kenner Parker Toys.
 * First full spin-off game (as opposed to an add-on) introduced: Advance to Boardwalk.
 * First International Spanish Edition published by Parker Brothers, USA for domestic use and exporting.
 * First Edition using Australian placenames published.

1987

 * Kenner Parker Toys acquired by Tonka, renamed to Kenner Parker Tonka (retaining the KPT abbreviation).

1990

 * Television game show edition of Monopoly broadcast on ABC in the U.S. during the summer.
 * First Edition of Monopoly Junior is published.

1991

 * Kenner Parker Tonka acquired by Hasbro
 * Franklin Mint Collector's Edition first produced; the first set not made at Parker Brothers.
 * Final copies of Monopoly printed at Parker Brothers' Salem, Massachusetts plant.

1992

 * Chessex produces a new edition of the "Stock Exchange" add-on.

1994

 * USAopoly granted license to produce custom/localized board games.

1995

 * Winning Moves granted license to produce products based on Monopoly, including reprintings.

1999

 * Moneybag token added to game.
 * Pokemon Edition released
 * Millennium Edition released
 * Star Wars: Episode I Edition released in basic and Collector's Edition formats.

2000

 * Monopoly: The Card Game first published by Winning Moves Games
 * Winning Solutions, Inc. granted license to produce special editions of Monopoly games.

2001

 * Nostalgia Edition produced in a square wooden box

2002

 * 1935 Deluxe Edition replica produced by Winning Moves Games
 * Michael Graves Design edition sold exclusively at Target

2006

 * Speed Die introduced with Monopoly: The Mega Edition
 * First plastic card readers introduced with Monopoly Here & Now Electronic Banking Edition

2008

 * Speed Die introduced into standard editions of Monopoly
 * Standard US edition changed - purple group becomes brown, Income Tax is a flat $200 and Luxury Tax increased to $100. New starting money distribution and higher total amount in the bank. Tokens are reduced to 8.
 * Indiana Jones Edition sold exclusively at Walmart.

2009

 * Speed Die use mandated starting with this year's US & World Monopoly tournaments.
 * Winning Moves begins sales of "The Classic Edition" with a pre-2008 board.

2011

 * February: Monopoly Live announced at New York Toy Fair.

2012

 * A custom edition of Monopoly, first developed in the UK, is sold in North America for the first time: The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition

2013

 * New cat token to replace iron token after public polling on Facebook, January 8 - February 5.