That time a woman tried to warn us about greed

Ah, Lizzie Magie—a true visionary who invented The Landlord’s Game to warn us about how greed and monopolies ruin everything. But instead of getting credit, she got the classic “thanks, but no thanks” treatment when a man named Charles Darrow swooped in, copied her idea, and sold it as Monopoly. He got rich; she got $500. That’s right—$500! Barely enough to buy Baltic Avenue.

Here’s the kicker: Lizzie was trying to warn us about this exact problem, and now, over 50% of all single-family homes and apartments in the U.S. are owned by corporations. Rent is skyrocketing, wages are stagnant, and somehow billionaires are buying yachts the size of small countries. Lizzie was practically screaming, “Don’t let this happen!”—and we let it happen anyway. Classic.