1. Wallace Lee Walker, DDS, Discusses the History of Scrabble
Introduced in the 1940s, Scrabble is one of the world's most popular
board games. People from 121 countries have purchased over 150
million sets since it hit the marketplace. Along with the game's
legendary status in the United States and England, Senegal places it
in high esteem and considers it a national sport.
The story behind the crossword-inspired activity begins with Alfred
Mosher Butts, an unemployed architect. Affected by the Great
Depression, Butts combined elements of board, number, and letter
games into one pastime. He determined the distribution of letters and
points per letter by counting the number of times each letter
appeared in various newspapers. After a decade marked by
rejections from game manufacturers and the United States Patent
and Trademark Office, Butts received an offer from James Brunot to
mass produce the game. Brunot added many familiar elements to
Scrabble such as the color scheme, the 50-point bonus, and even its
name. By the early 1950s, it had become a sensation and sold
millions of units per year.
About the Author:
Based out of Park Dental Service in Detroit, Wallace Lee Walker,
DDS, performs root canals, extractions, denture creation, orthodontic
work, and other dental treatments. During his spare time, Dr. Walker
enjoys playing Scrabble.