Classic Ouija Board

The Classic Ouija Board

Sit opposite your partner, with the board between you and your fingers lightly touching the message indicator. One of you asks a question - now concentrate on the matter at hand - and wait for the indicator to move and reveal the answer. For decades, players have brought their questions to the Ouija board. What you do with the information it reveals is between you and the Mystifying Oracle! Ouija, it's only a game, isn't it?

The history of the Ouija Board

The Ouija board originated in the United States in the 1890s as a talking board used in the American Spiritualist movement. The board was invented by Charles Kennard and Elijah Bond, who were more interested in making money than contacting spirits. 

Origins
The Ouija board was developed in the wake of the American Civil War, when many people wanted to contact lost loved ones. The first Ouija boards were manufactured in Baltimore, Maryland in 1890. The name "Ouija" was suggested by the board itself during an early experiment with medium Helen Peters Nosworthy.

Development
The board was a printed board with letters and numbers, and a sliding pointer used to spell out messages. The board was advertised as a way to answer any question, without specifying who was answering The board was used in Spiritualist circles, but was never advertised as a tool for spirit communication. The board's popularity grew after World War I, when newspapers reported on its use to communicate with the dead
The board was used to predict catastrophes, solve mysteries, and even commit crimes.

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