Milton Bradley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Milton Bradley
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| Born | November 8, 1836 |
| Died | May 30, 1911 (aged 74) Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Occupation | Entrepreneur Board game manufacturer |
| Known for | Founder of the Milton Bradley Company |
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Milton Bradley (born November 8, 1836 – died May 30, 1911) was an important American businessman and inventor. Many people believe he started the modern board game industry. He founded the famous Milton Bradley Company, which created many popular games. This company was later bought by Hasbro in 1984.
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The Life of Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley was born in Vienna, Maine in 1836. His parents were Lewis and Fannie Bradley. His family moved to Lowell, Massachusetts in 1847. After finishing high school in 1854, he worked as a draftsman. A draftsman draws detailed plans for machines or buildings. He also worked as a patent agent, helping people register their inventions.
Bradley later studied at the Lawrence Scientific School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. However, he could not finish his studies. His family moved to Hartford, Connecticut, and he couldn't find a good job there. In 1856, Bradley moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. There, he continued to work as a mechanical draftsman.
In 1859, Bradley learned about lithography in Providence, Rhode Island. Lithography is a special way of printing using a stone or metal plate. In 1860, he opened the first color lithography shop in Springfield. It was around this time that he got an idea for a board game. He called it The Checkered Game of Life. This game later became the famous The Game of Life.
Starting the Milton Bradley Company
Milton Bradley's journey into making board games began after a problem in his printing business. He printed pictures of Abraham Lincoln, who was running for president. These pictures sold very well at first. But then, Lincoln decided to grow a beard! Bradley's pictures no longer looked like the new Lincoln. Customers wanted their money back, and the prints became worthless. Bradley had to burn the remaining pictures.
Looking for a new idea, he found inspiration from a board game a friend showed him. He thought he could make and sell a similar game to people in America. In the winter of 1860, Bradley released his first game, The Checkered Game of Life.
The Checkered Game of Life: A New Kind of Fun
The Checkered Game of Life was an instant hit! Bradley personally sold hundreds of copies in New York. By 1861, over 45,000 copies were sold. Players would spin a teetotum (a spinning top like a dice) to move around the board. Squares on the board represented different parts of life, like "influence" or "poverty." Landing on good squares earned points, while bad ones slowed you down.
Unlike older games that focused only on being good, Bradley's game showed success in a new way. It was about achieving things in life, with good qualities helping you reach your goals. This idea fit well with America's growing interest in success and wealth after the Civil War. The game, and others from the Milton Bradley Company, also became popular as people had more free time. This led to great success for his company.
Famous Games from Milton Bradley
From 1860 and throughout the 20th century, the Milton Bradley Company made many popular American games. These include The Game of Life, Easy Money, Candy Land, Operation, and Battleship.
In 1984, the company became part of Hasbro, a large toy and game company. In 1998, Milton Bradley merged with Parker Brothers to form Hasbro Games. The names Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers were used as brands until 2009. After 149 years, the Milton Bradley name was retired, and games were sold under the Hasbro name.
Milton Bradley's Contributions to Education and Art
Milton Bradley was also very interested in education. He published writings about Friedrich Fröbel's kindergarten system. This system focused on learning through play for young children. His company also published two magazines: Kindergarten News and Work and Play. Even though these magazines were not very profitable, Bradley kept them going until the end of his life. He believed strongly in their educational value.
By the 1890s, the Milton Bradley Company introduced the first standardized watercolor paint sets. These sets used a special six-spectrum color system. This system helped artists mix and reproduce colors more accurately. Bradley also created educational games like Bradley's Word Builder and Bradley's Sentence Builder. He was also the first to release crayon packages with standardized colors. These were an early version of today's popular Crayola crayons. Bradley even wrote four books about teaching colors.
Other Inventions
Milton Bradley also invented the Myriopticon. This was a special viewer that showed a long panorama of scenes from the American Civil War.
Milton Bradley's Family Life
In 1860, Milton Bradley married Vilona Eaton. They did not have any children. Vilona passed away in 1867. In 1869, he married his second wife, Ellen "Nellie" Thayer. Milton and Nellie had two daughters together.
Milton Bradley passed away on May 30, 1911, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was 74 years old. He was buried in Springfield Cemetery with his family.
Honors and Recognition
In 2004, Milton Bradley was honored by being added to the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. These honors recognize his important contributions to games and inventions.
Books by Milton Bradley
- Color in the Schoolroom (1890)
- Color in the Kindergarten (1893)
- Elementary Color (1895)
- Water Colors in the Schoolroom (1900)
- Bradley also published rules for playing croquet in 1866.
See also
- George Swinnerton Parker, founder of the Parker Brothers company
Images for kids
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A young Milton Bradley in the 1860s.
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An advertisement from 1872 for the Milton Bradley Company.
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The original cover of The Checkered Game of Life, the first board game released by Milton Bradley.
