Lies, theft, and cover-up: the history of Monopoly you've never heard

[gentle music] Hey there.

This summer break on Throughline, we're bringing you a collection of hidden histories that we hope will make you rethink how the world works.

Like this story about Monopoly, the all-American board game that's urged us to own it all, turning its original message on its head.

Here it is.

[dice rattling] One, two, three, four, five.

My family played at Christmas Eve.

That was our tradition growing up.

Nine, 10.

Just visiting.

No. No. No.

Go to jail.

This is-

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, so it was cold and rainy.

We had a lot of time to stay inside and play games.

And nostalgia.

You know, my grandmother, my parents, I had played with my brother.

Four, five, six.

You know, it was one of the rare things that really brought all the generations of my family together.

And I remember as a kid, it's really exciting.

I get to trade property, I get to spend money, I get to have power.

I'm the youngest of my family, so the idea that I had even remotely equal footing was really exciting.

This is Mary Pilon.

She's a journalist who writes about sports and business.

But Monopoly was not on my list at all.

Um, well, and who would think to question Monopoly?