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or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com. It's late 1932 in a townhouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where a dinner party is underway.

Forty-year-old Charles Darrow opens a bottle of wine and pours it into the glasses of his dining companions.

Nina's wife had been invited to dinner with friends, and even though Charles is out of work and money is tight,

he saved up enough for a decent bottle for them all to share.

Charles raises his glass and joins his friends in a toast to their good health.

Then the host of the party brings out the after-dinner entertainment.

They all clear space as he unfolds a square game board and places it in the middle of the table.

The host grabs dice and some small carved wooden houses from the box as Charles tilts his head to read the words emblazoned across the middle of the board.

It's called the Landlord's game.

Charles never played it before,

but his host explains the rules as he deals out play money to everyone around the table. Charles jokes as he's given a handful of fake banknotes, saying he'll keep a hold of them for next week's

groceries, and then the host of the party hands him one of the dice. As a newcomer to the game,

Charles can go first.

So Charles shakes the die in his hand and rolls it across the board. The game has begun.

After playing it for the first time, Charles Darrow becomes obsessed with the Landlord's game,

and not just because he enjoys playing it.

Charles sees the board game as an opportunity to make a few bucks while he's out of work,

so he soon develops a copycat version of his own to sell.

But when it's launched, this game won't just give Charles a bit of extra spending money.

...