April 13
SCRABBLE DAY
For all of you who can spend hour, upon hour, trying to use up all of your letters for the fifty-point bonus while on a triple word score, this day is yours to celebrate. You’ll be celebrating Alfred Butts’ birthday. Alfred was born on this day in 1899. He grew up to become an architect, but lost his job during the Depression. While he wiled away the hours of unemployment, he invented a crossword puzzle word-game. He and his friends had a good time playing the game, but that’s as far as it went ... until one fateful day in 1952. Butts and friends were at a resort (he survived the Depression) and, as fate would have it, a Macy’s department store executive saw them playing their game. The executive took the game back to Macy’s where it became a successful sales item.
It wasn’t long before the game makers of Selchow & Richter caught wind of the habit-forming board game. They offered Butts three cents for every set they manufactured. Butts accepted and Scrabble went on the assembly line. Thirty-five laborers made Scrabble sets by the thousands ... six-thousand sets were coming off the line every week. Scrabble is still one of the best-selling game boards made. Now you can even play it on your computer.
Of his three-cents worth, Butts said, “One third went to taxes. I gave one third away, and the other third enabled me to have an enjoyable life.”
Thanks to Alfred Butts, we have had many, many hours of enjoyment. However, we still wish there were more ‘U’ tiles to go with those dastardly ‘Qs’.
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
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