On January 5, 1904, Lizzie J. Magie, a Quaker woman from Virginia, received a patent for a board game. Lizzie Magie belonged to a tax movement led by Philadelphia-born Henry George; the movement supported the theory that the renting of land and real estate produced an unearned increase in land values that profited a few individuals (landlords) rather than the majority of the people (tenants). Henry George proposed a single federal tax based on land ownership believing a single tax would discourage speculation and encourage equal opportunity.Read More Monopoly
Source: inventors.about.com
And it is still a sound idea today, one which could solve some of our most serious and difficult and widespread problems.
ReplyDeleteI commend Henry George's ideas to your attention. You might start with introductory material at http://www.wealthandwant.com/, including some of his speeches.
The big problem with Lizzie Magie's game was that there was no big winner and no losers. Most of us would consider that a bad thing in a game.
But in life, we call it sustainability and community that works. For everyone, not for a lucky few.