A closer look
British intelligence agencies hid real silk escape maps, compasses, and actual currency inside modified Monopoly boards sent to prisoners of war held in Nazi camps during World War II. Because the Geneva Convention allowed POWs to receive recreational games, the guards never suspected that their captive soldiers were actively unboxing sophisticated espionage tools disguised as family entertainment. It is easily the only time in human history that a game of Monopoly has actually improved someone's life rather than slowly destroying it over a torturous four-hour holiday argument. Sadly, modern board games are just filled with cheap plastic miniatures and unreadable rulebooks, completely useless for escaping anything other than awkward conversations with your family
