This inspired her to design a board game to teach his economic theories to friends and colleagues. Magie became interested in the anti-monopolist theories of Henry George, a politician and economist who believed that a single “land value tax” would shift the tax burden to wealthy landlords. Her first patent was for a “type writing machine” in 1893 that essentially helped paper move through typewriter rollers more easily. I think this story is a great example of how the invention process is often far more complicated and interesting than the cliché of an individual inventor who has a “Eureka!” moment and comes up with a marketable product.īorn in Illinois in 1866, Lizzie Magie moved to the Washington, DC area in the 1880s as a single woman and worked as a stenographer and typist at the Dead Letter Office.
Magie Phillips (1866-1948) is finally receiving due attention as the inventor of the game that eventually became “Monopoly.” A new book by journalist Mary Pilon, The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game, has received a lot of media coverage recently for shining light on the game’s disputed history. In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m happy to report that Elizabeth “Lizzie” J.
