Pop quiz: Who was Thomas Edison? If you knew he was an inventor, give yourself a high five. (Thanks for helping to bring the light bulb and movies into our lives, Mr. Edison!)
Edison is world famous, but hey, popularity isn't everything. There are lots of others who also invented things we find useful—or just really fun—whose names are little known. (If you know who invented ice cream or the first video game system, give yourself two high fives, because most people don't!)
Here's the story of two inventors who turned their innovative ideas into reality.
Elizabeth Magie
Elizabeth Magie invented one of the biggest games ever—but she wasn't just aiming to have fun with her friends. In fact, the game Magie devised had serious origins.
Magie came of age in the late 1800s, a time when many wealthy Americans were getting wealthier, while many others remained very poor. Magie believed that it was much easier for wealthy people to make more money—and own more stuff, like land—than it was for less privileged people to make money. And she felt this was unjust.
So, in 1903, Magie invented a board game. She predicted that when people played the game, they'd come to agree with her that it wasn't fair if a small number of people owned most everything. She called her creation "The Landlord's Game."
Eventually, The Landlord's Game was renamed. It was called…
Monopoly!
Many people have played Monopoly in the decades since it was first sold, but if you ask someone who invented the game, they'll probably say it was a man named Charles Darrow. That's because Darrow took a slightly different version of Magie's game and sold the idea to a company called Parker Brothers. Darrow made millions of dollars, and Monopoly became super popular. Today, people still love Monopoly…but few know who really invented it.
Alice H. Parker
Back in the early 1900s, it was challenging to keep a home warm. For many people, it meant relying on a few wood pellet stoves or fireplaces—and that didn't always do the trick. It's said that Alice H. Parker became an inventor because her house was too cold!
Born in 1895, Parker lived in New Jersey, and the fire in her fireplace was no match for the freezing winters. Besides, it was difficult (and dangerous) to keep the fire burning all night, when everyone was asleep. Parker wanted to devise a central heating system—something that would heat the entire house efficiently. So, she designed a furnace and a system to enable the furnace to heat an entire home. Parker envisioned it working like this: The furnace would take in cool air and heat it, and then the hot air would be carried through ducts that led to the different rooms in the house. No more open fires, and no more chopping wood!
Parker wasn't the inventor of the furnace—some houses had them back then. But unlike most furnaces of the time, which were powered by coal, Parker's furnace was designed to be powered by natural gas. There would be no need to buy expensive coal and shovel it into the furnace on a regular basis. Parker filed for, and received, a patent for her design in 1919. This was an amazing achievement for Parker, who, as a Black woman, had fewer rights and opportunities than White men.
While Parker's design was never used, it helped pave the way for the heating systems that are still used in many homes to this day.
There are so many inventions that we use today—and there are so many things yet to be invented. If you can come up with a great idea, you could be an inventor, too.
QUESTION 1
1 / 4
This article is primarily about __________.
people who copy the invention designs of others
how Parker got a patent for her heating system
women who often don't get credit for their inventions
why so many people love to play Monopoly
women who often don't get credit for their inventions
Based on the article, which of these is true about Elizabeth Magie?
She became famous for her invention.
She made millions of dollars from selling a board game.
She thought it was unfair that wealthy people owned most everything.
She wanted to entertain people with her invention.
She thought it was unfair that wealthy people owned most everything.
Read this passage from the article:
Parker filed for, and received, a patent for her design in 1919. This was an amazing achievement for Parker, who, as a Black woman, had fewer rights and opportunities than White men.
The author's purpose for writing this passage was to __________.
prove that many people use heating systems in their homes
prove that Parker made it easier for other inventors to patent their ideas
explain how uncommon it was for people to receive patents during the 1900s
explain how astonishing Parker's accomplishment was at the time
explain how astonishing Parker's accomplishment was at the time
QUESTION 4
4 / 4
Which two words are the closest synonyms?
predicted and questioned
unjust and fair
devised and created
opportunities and misfortunes