How Milton Bradley saved us all and revolutionized the Board Game industry!

Milton Bradley's first board game was "The Checkered Game of Life" first published in 1861. Building upon the dice-dependent morality "games" of the previous century, he created a game that became the centerpiece of the Bradley catalog for generations. The game is obviously a transition piece, from the earlier Mansion of Happiness game, but also not such a departure that it couldn't be accepted by Victorian society. It sold 45,000 copies in its second year of production! Using a teetotum, a special scoring card with a needle (and a player aid!), he introduced player choices into this American diversion.