National Play Monopoly Day (November 19th)

The thing about a real economy is that it actually is like the Game of Monopoly in the sense that when one person has all the money, the Game is over. And in a Game of Monopoly, of course, that’s quite charming, but in a real economy, it’s much more problematic.

Nick Hanauer

If you have childhood memories of the famous Game Monopoly, then you’ll be excited to know that there is a day dedicated to the Game itself. If you love their little figurines, counting up the money, and those get out of jail free cards, then read more about the History of this amazing holiday and what you can do to celebrate it.

History of National Play Monopoly Day

The idea that eventually became Monopoly occurred back in 1903 when American anti-monopolist Elizabeth Magie created a Game in order to explain the single tax theory of Henry George. Henry George’s tax theory was that owning a monopoly over specific arrangements and interactions of materials could cause great issues to the economy, and thus supported land value taxes and patent rents onto monopolized companies and Businesses.

Lizzie Magie henceforth decided to create the game, called the Landlord’s Game, in order to explain the effects of monopoly into simpler terms and thus created her patent in 1904 and published her game in 1906. Although Charles Darrow created a semi-copyrighted version of Monopoly, it wasn’t until the Parker Brother’s in 1935 sold a similar game called Monopoly that it gained popularity and as history states it, in 1991 Hasbro Inc. bought Parker Brothers and thus bought Monopoly.

Thus, with this long history of tradition, Monopoly is now one of the most popular board games in the world. Each year different editions are developed. Fans through the internet get to vote on new piece designs and potential editions for fans to collect and play. It’s become part of the American tradition for families to play together, and this holiday is just a tribute to the fun that is Monopoly.

How to celebrate National Play Monopoly Day

What better way to celebrate this fun holiday than to play Monopoly. Have a family gathering one night and play with your brothers and sisters. Invite friends over and have a board game night with drinking, snacks, and board games. Go online and vote for the next edition of the monopoly game. You can also use the hashtag #playmonopolyday and let everyone on your favorite social media websites what day it is today.