Contents A Life of Work and Play Begins A Young Man with Bright Ideas Early Career 4 6 8 The Checkered Game of Life 10 The Making of a Board Game Ups and Downs of Real Life Beyond the Board Game Bradley Goes to Kindergarten 12 14 16 18 The Changing Game of Life 20 Success and Satisfaction The End Game Milton Bradley’s Work Lives On 22 24 26 Timeline 28 Glossary 30 Websites 31 Index 32
Chapter 1 A Life of Work A Life of Work A Life of Work A Life of Work A Life of Work and Play Begins and Play Begins Milton Bradley was born on November 8 1836 in Vienna Maine Milton’s lifetime saw many changes When he was born the Industrial Revolution had started in the United States He was an adult when the Civil War began Just before the war he started a revolutionary game company that would change playtime forever During the mid-1800s many people were moving from farms to cities They were looking for a new way of life Milton’s family moved five times while he was growing up The Bradleys 4 Milton Bradley combined work and play from a very young age and became a successful businessman
Lowell Massachusetts the city where Milton spent his childhood finally settled in Lowell Massachusetts There Milton’s father Lewis worked in a textile mill Lewis sometimes helped his son with his homework He gave Milton objects such as apples to use to help him solve math problems This made homework feel more like play than work Milton continued to mix work and play for the rest of his life Today more than 100 fun and successful board games bear his name Chances are you your parents grandparents and even great-grandparents have all played Milton Bradley games 5
