Four Cross Patches

Parker Brothers began selling their Monopoly board game February 6, 1935. They licensed the game for sale outside the United States the following year. In 1941, the British Secret Intelligence Service contracted with John Waddington Ltd. (the licensed manufacturer of the game in the United Kingdom) to create a special edition for World War II prisoners of war held by the Nazis. Cleverly hidden inside these games were road maps, working compasses, real money, and other objects that were deemed useful for escaping. They were distributed to prisoners by British fake charity groups that were also created by the secret service. I have no idea whether or not any of these games actually made it into POW’s hands, or if any led to successful escapes. But I’ll bet they improved prisoner morale.