Outbreak of war
Everybody knows Monopoly. It has been around for more than 70 years. But not many know the interesting story of how Monopoly was used during the second world war.
The war broke out on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war. By 1941, many British airmen were in German prison camps. So, British military experts began to think about ways to help their men escape.
Silk roads
By 1941, Germany was having problems supplying food to even its own army. For this reason, it welcomed Red Cross supplies for its prisoners of war. The British had to think of ways to sneak maps and other useful information to their prisoners with the supplies. Paper maps were too big, and would make a sound when they were opened.
British intelligence came up with an answer. Print maps on silk. Silk can be made into a tiny ball and when you 'unfold' it, it is completely silent. But who prints on silk? Waddington, the British company that makes Monopoly, did.
