Mark Twain's Memory-Builder (1891)

In 1885 American humorist and author Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) received a patent for Mark Twain's Memory Builder, a game designed to help players retain important dates and facts from throughout history. Points are awarded by what type of fact is given: 10 for an Accession of kings, presidents, and other rulers; 5 for Battles; and 1 for minor events such as births, deaths, and inventions. Additionally, one point is awarded for facts not related to dates, such as the number of bones in a human foot. The board consists of a table with areas marked 1-100 representing the years of any century with 3 rows of dots for the three kinds of facts previously mentioned and a separate section for un-dateable facts. As a player names a fact he places a pin in the related pinhole. Anything worth remembering is admissible. Play continues in turns for a previously agreed upon amount of time.