The Milton Bradley Company is best known as the manufacturer of classic games, from Scrabble (see entry under 1940s—Sports and Games in volume 3) to Twister (see entry under 1960s—Sports and Games in volume 3), that have brought fun to players of all ages for over 140 years. The company was founded by Milton Bradley (1836–1911). Bradley was working as a printer in Springfield, Massachusetts, when he produced a new family diversion called The Checkered Game of Life, a board game whose goal was a moral life and peaceful retirement.

Bradley continued to create games and publish educational materials for young children. By 1968, his company was the largest manufacturer of games in the United States. The popularity of such Milton Bradley games as Parcheesi, Yahtzee, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Mousetrap, and Go to the Head of the Class has spanned generations. Books published by Milton...