The Checkered Game of Life

Around 1860, Abraham Lincoln grew a beard. A young printer, Milton Bradley, who had been making a living selling pictures of a beardless Lincoln now found himself without a salable product. He turned to making board games, and invented The Checkered Game of Life. Similar to Snakes and Ladders, The Checkered Game of Life has players moving on the board depicting virtues and vices. The winner of the game was the first to accumulate 100 points. This is the long predecessor to The Game of Life which is produced by the company that bears his name.