Day 5 of the Halloween Countdown and I'm really getting into the Halloween spirit now! Speaking of spirits, I thought I would feature something today that is the subject of myths, legends, and eerie stories alike. What is this creepy thing I'm talking about you ask? None other than the infamous Ouija Board!
Created in 1890 by Elijah Bond and Charles Kennard, the Ouija Board was regarded as a harmless parlor game unrelated to the occult. An American Spiritualist named Pearl Curran popularized its use as a divining tool during World War I and thus linking the Ouija Board to the supernatural world. In 1901, William Fuld, an employee of Charles Kennard, took over the production of the Ouija Board and eventually claimed that he was the original inventor. Several years after his death, Fuld's estate sold the Ouija Board business to Parker Brothers who hold all trademarks and patents of the board.
As for how the board got its name--it's complicated. Wikipedia states: "Kennard claimed he learned the name "Ouija" from using the board and that it was an ancient Egyptian word meaning "good luck." When Fuld took over production of the boards, he popularized the more widely accepted etymology, that the name came from a combination of the French and German words for 'yes'."
People have differing opinions on how the board actually works. Some people believe that it is the paranormal or supernatural that affects the board while others believe it's simply the ideometer effect at play.
Here is a really cool fact sheet about the Ouija Board created by Frightcatalog.com! http://www.frightcatalog.com/Ouija-Board/
I have never used a Ouija Board and have only seen one in person--when I used to volunteer at the local history museum, I found one in our collection and we used it for a Halloween display. What about you? Have you ever used a Ouija Board? If so, did you have any strange experiences? Let us know! We would like to interview you for a later blog post!
Happy Hauntings!
People have differing opinions on how the board actually works. Some people believe that it is the paranormal or supernatural that affects the board while others believe it's simply the ideometer effect at play.
An illustration of the Ouija Board by Norman Rockwell
Here is a really cool fact sheet about the Ouija Board created by Frightcatalog.com! http://www.frightcatalog.com/Ouija-Board/
I have never used a Ouija Board and have only seen one in person--when I used to volunteer at the local history museum, I found one in our collection and we used it for a Halloween display. What about you? Have you ever used a Ouija Board? If so, did you have any strange experiences? Let us know! We would like to interview you for a later blog post!
Happy Hauntings!
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