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Popular Toys Throughout the Ages

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the you-put-the-ball-on-the-string-in-the-cup dept.

Ant writes "MSNBC has a story on the 'must-have' items from decades past. From the article: 'With so many new toys and games hitting store shelves every year, it may be a little surprising that many of the most popular playthings are actually quite old. But people have been playing for a very long time. In 4000 B.C., Babylonians played a board game that was probably the ancestor of chess and checkers. Stone yo-yos were first used in ancient Greece around 1000 B.C. Kites appeared in China around the same time, though historians speculate that they have probably been flown since before recorded history.'"

5 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. Babylon? by hunterx11 · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's pretty well accepted that the ancestor of modern chess, chaturanga, originated in India. A small minority disputes this, claiming that it originated in China, which is plausible if not as likely. But I've never heard of any evidence that chess originated in any form in the Middle East.

    --
    English is easier said than done.
    1. Re:Babylon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

      Indians and Persians are descendants of the Aryans. Maybe chess actually originates from the Caucassus.

    2. Re:Babylon? by AtomicBomb · · Score: 2, Informative
      In 4000 B.C., Babylonians played a board game that was probably the ancestor of chess and checker
      The MSN article mererly refers to the origin of board game in general. It may well be the case. Board game is more than just chess. Many believe the Indian board game, Chaturanga, is the origin of international chess. However, Chaturanga is only one board game evolved along the timeline of board game development. It appeared at around 600 A.D. (c.f. Chinese chess at around 200 B.C.). The intermediate ancestor of international chess is from Persia. In fact, the term "checkmate" means "the king is finished" in Persian. Sometimes it is really difficult to figure which is the actual origin, as influence from multiple sources is likely. Read more from the following wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess#History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_in_early_litera ture
  2. Missing data by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Dildo sex toys were discovered to be used around 4000 years ago

  3. Rubik's Cube? by UglyRedHonda · · Score: 3, Informative

    Rubik's Cube may have been invented in the 70s, but it wasn't mass-manufactured until 1980. Seriously, it wasn't even called the Rubik's Cube until 1980. (It was originally called the Magic Cube.)