The Ouija board, also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a tool used for communicating with the dead. Its origins can be traced back to the late 19th century, when spiritualism was at its height of popularity in the United States.
The earliest known version of the Ouija board was patented by Elijah Bond in 1891. Bond was a lawyer and businessman, who claimed to have received inspiration for the board during a séance. He called it the "Ouija" board, which he said was the Egyptian word for "good luck."
However, many experts believe that the name "Ouija" was actually chosen because it was easy to pronounce and remember. The board itself was a simple design, consisting of a wooden plank with the letters of the alphabet, numbers, and various words and phrases printed on it. Users would place their fingers on a small planchette, which would move around the board and spell out messages.
The Ouija board quickly became popular among spiritualists, who believed it could be used to communicate with the dead. However, it also attracted criticism from skeptics, who argued that the movement of the planchette was simply the result of the users unconsciously moving it themselves.
Despite the controversy surrounding it, the Ouija board continued to be popular and was even marketed as a game for entertainment purposes. In the 1920s, William Fuld, a Baltimore businessman who had purchased the rights to the Ouija board from Elijah Bond, began to heavily promote the board as a game and by 1966 Parker Brothers, a leading game manufacturer, acquired the rights of the Ouija board and began to mass-produce it.
Today, the Ouija board is still widely used by those interested in the paranormal and the afterlife, but it is also widely considered as just a game and a source of entertainment. It's important to keep in mind that the Ouija board is not a scientifically proven method of communicating with the dead, and it's important to approach it with caution.
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