February 10, 1891
Washington, D.C., United States
Elijah J. Bond’s Ouija Board is granted its patent

The Ouija Board, considered a “toy or game,” at least for the sake of the patent, originally utilized a planchette with tall legs and a pointed end rather than the lower, heart-shaped version with a small window in which we are accustomed to today.

Supposedly, according to William Fuld who took over production of the board after Bond, the word Ouija came from the Ancient Egyptian word for “good luck.” Others have speculated the name comes from the French and German words for “yes,” “oui” and “ja” respectively.

Source: “Patent of the Day: Game or Toy (Ouija Board).” Suiter. February 10, 2017. Accessed: February 10, 2020. https://suiter.com/patent-of-the-day-game-or-toy-ouija-board/