Big Money Tuesday

Big money on the line tonight at two quizzes without definitive front runners. We kick it off at O’Neals at 8 p.m. $3.50 margaritas and a $50 gift certificate for the winners. Been a little quiet the past couple of weeks. Could be a great shot for your team to make some noise.

On to the City Tap House at 10:15 p.m. Also been quiet the last couple of weeks, but that should change now that the kids are back in town. $100 gift certificate for the winning team. Oh, and this week’s wild card round will be science-related, at least on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Charles Darrow: Mount Airy’s Millionaire Monopoly Thief?

We had a question this week about the board game Monopoly. As I often do, while researching the question, I got sucked into reading more about the history of the game. It’s incredibly fascinating, and it’s got Philly all over it, so I thought you might dig it too. (If you’re a fan of local history, check out quizzo regular GroJlart over at Philaphilia or check us out at Phillysportshistory.com.)

The Great Depression hit Germantown (now Mt. Airy) resident Charles Darrow hard. He lost his job as a domestic heater salesman, and with a bunch of free time on his hands, started tinkering around on a piece of oilcloth with a new game that was formulating in his mind. He tinkered with rules, made little houses and hotels, and invited friends over to try his new game. They were enthralled. With little money of their own during the Great Depression, the idea of playing a game that gave them money and power was an instant hit. Darrow saw that he had created something special, and started selling the game out of his house. Orders came pouring in, so he went to Parker Brothers to see if they could manufacture it for him. They weren’t interested, so he sold it to Wannamaker’s himself. The game flew off the shelves in Philadelphia that holiday season. Parker Brothers reconsidered, bought the game from Darrow, and paid him royalties that within a year had made him a millionaire. See, a little elbow grease and originality, and the American Dream can come true for anyone!

At least that’s the official story that Parker Brothers told for 40 years after the game was invented. And parts of it are true. But like most stories, it was a hell of a lot more complicated than the “official” version. Darrow positively did not create the game. He was just the guy who hustled it and made the money off of it. The woman who invented it, Lizzie Magie, is like the dude who invented chicken nuggets according to DeAngelo in the Wire. A quick history of the game after the jump, according to About.com:

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$1 Corn Dogs, $2 Beers, $3 Fries and Philly’s Best Quizzo Tonight

Some great deals at quizzo tonight. We start at Ugly American, where you can pretty much eat and drink plenty for $10. $1 Corn Dogs, $2 Lagers, and a brand new special starting this week, $3 French Fries. That’s in addition to the fries I’ll be giving away. They’ll also be rocking $3 Kenzingers. Action starts at 8 p.m., and this is one bar where there is no dominant team. Why Can’t Us will certainly give you a run for your money though.

On to the Bards, where French Fry Faceoff typically turns into craziness. $2 Lager Lights and $3 Lagers. Quizzo starts at 10:15 p.m. Phillies game will be on at both bars. So if you want to watch some Phillies, play some quizzo, and partake in two of the best beer specials in Philly, come on out to quizzo tonight!

1920s Quiz on September 25th!

We’ve got an awesome event lined up for September 25th at National Mechanics. We’re going to be doing an all 1920s quiz, with questions about the drinks, the styles, the music, the politics, and the celebrities of the Jazz Age. We’ll have prizes to give away for best 1920s outfit, we’ll have 1920s era drinks, and we’re going to have some incredible live music, with the Blackbird Society Orchestra (above) a 1920s-style jazz band (To listen to them click here)! Then, after the show and the quiz are done, we’re going to settle in and watch the season premiere of Boardwalk Empire on the big screen. So prepare to travel back in time with us on the 25th. I am quite honestly as excited about this quiz as I have been about any quiz I’ve ever hosted. This is gonna be really, really cool.