Who Was…? biography series for middle grade inspires with the story of Milton Bradley – a talented inventor and printer, who became the father of modern board games.
Milton Bradley
(1836-1911) was born in Vienna, Maine. From childhood, he had a talent for
drawing. Thus, in order to utilize his talent, his first jobs were as a
draftsman. However, right after High School, in addition to working as a
draftsman, he also worked as a patent agent which later came useful.
At twenty-three, he
went to school to learn lithography. And a year later, he set up the first
color lithography shop in Springfield, Massachusetts, but the business wasn’t
doing well.
His friend tried to
cheer him up by playing games. At the same time, Milton got an idea to invent a
board game. Some people saw games as a waste of time. So he wanted to create
something that was fun and meaningful.
He came up with The Checkered Game of Life, which he took to NYC to
different stores. After selling them all, with the money in his pocket, he was
ready to marry the love of his life.
When the Civil War
began in April 1861, Milton was asked to help draft plans for new types of
weapons. His patent business took off.
Nevertheless, Milton
felt an obligation to join the Union Army, but he was told that designing the
new guns was the most important job he could be doing. When passing by a group
of soldiers, he noticed them being sad and bored. That’s when he came up with a
small pocket-size game board. He called it the Game Kit for Soldiers.
Then, he came up with
the rebus puzzle cards which became a huge success, too.
A German man named Friedrich
Froebel introduced an idea of kindergarten, which was learning by playing.
Elizabeth Peabody was an American teacher who believed in Froebel’s idea of
kindergarten and became a leader of this movement in the US.
The Milton Bradley
Company was growing but they wanted to stick to games only. Milton himself was of different opinion and
persisted in creating material for teachers, which were considered less
profitable. At the end, it also turned out to be profitable.
He believed in
meaningful ideas, making a difference for humanity. He stood by it and at the
end made his mark with big profits.
He believed in
working hard, and staying close to your family. Also, that learning and fun
were both important and could be combined.
This biography exemplifies a man who strongly believed in his ideas, of learning and having fun at the same time. When others looked at profits only, he persisted with something that was considered not profitable, and his creativity made it profitable.
This illustrated biography for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts.
Source: Penguin Workshop, 2016
TRENDING INSPIRATION:
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” –
Milton Bradley
Traits:
·
He had a
natural talent for drawing.
·
He
utilized his talent by getting the closest jobs he could reflecting what he
liked.
·
He went
to school to learn lithography for a year. His schooling wasn’t about getting a
degree. It was about a specific goal.
·
When his business
wasn’t doing well, his friend tried to cheer him up by playing games. It’s
important to surround ourselves with friends that will cheer us up, not drag us
down.
·
When his
friend tried to cheer him up by playing games, that’s when the idea came to him
to create board game. When we relaxation, we allow space in our mind for ideas
to come in.
·
His goal
was to create something that was fun and meaningful, to serve other people.
(When the money is the driven factor, then it won’t sustain itself in long run.
It has to have a purpose of serving others).
“The only way to do
great work is to love what you do.” – Milton Bradley
“Success is not
final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” –
Milton Bradley
“The future belongs
to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Milton Bradley
FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:
Many artists, scientists, scholars and others who achieved great things – they all understood the power of silence, quieting mind, creating a gap and letting ideas come to them.
Dr. Wayne Dyer explores this subject further in his
book “Wisdom of the Ages” under chapter one – Meditation. “It has been
estimated that the average person has sixty thousand separate thoughts each and
every day. (…) Learning to be quiet and meditate involves figuring out a way to
enter the spaces between your thoughts; or the gap. (…)”
Pythagoras, Greek philosopher and mathematician
wrote: “Learn to be silent. Let your quiet mind listen and absorb.”
Blaise Pascal, French philosopher, scientist,
mathematician, and writer, said: “All man’s miseries derive from not being able
to sit quietly in a room alone.”
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