History and Development of Scrabble

Alfred Mosher Butts and Scrabble

• Alfred Mosher Butts was an architect in the 1930s.
• Alfred Mosher Butts designed the game Scrabble.
• It hones your vocabulary to think critically.
• Diligent

Scrabble Origins and Development

• In 1938, Alfred Mosher Butts created Scrabble as a variation of his earlier word game, Lexiko.
• Butts analyzed letter frequency from sources like The New York Times to determine tile distribution and point values.
• Criss-Crosswords, Butts' new game, included a 15x15 gameboard and crossword-style gameplay.
• James Brunot bought the rights to manufacture the game in 1948 and renamed it Scrabble.
• Brunot rearranged the board's "premium" squares and simplified the rules.
• Scrabble means "to scratch frantically".

Scrabble's Rise to Popularity

• In 1949, Brunot and his family produced 2,400 sets but initially lost money
• Jack Straus, president of Macy's, played Scrabble on vacation in 1952 and ordered it to be sold in his store.
• Selchow and Righter acquired manufacturing rights in 1952 and sold nearly four million sets in its second year.

Scrabble Gameplay and Global Reach

• Scrabble involves two to four players forming words on a 15x15 grid to score points.
• Words must read left to right or downward and be found in a standard dictionary.
• Mattel owns the Scrabble trademark in most countries; Hasbro owns it in the United States and Canada.
• Sold in 121 countries and available in over 30 languages
• Approximately 150 million sets have been sold worldwide
• Roughly one-third of American and half of British homes own a set.
• Globally, there are around 4,000 Scrabble clubs.

Scrabble Board Features

• The board features "premium" squares: triple-word, double-word, triple-letter, and double-letter scores.
• Hasbro changed premium square colors in 2008, but tournaments still prefer the original colors.

How to Play Scrabble

• Players select a dictionary for challenges
• Tiles are placed in a bag and shaken
• Players determine who goes first and draw tiles.

Playing the Game

• The first player plays a word, counting the points.
• Players draw new tiles after their turn.
• Build on other player's words, using tiles to get the highest possible score
• Players can challenge other players to dispute a word
• Keep a record of scores, get 50 points added if you get a bingo

Scrabble Community

• Players can invite friends, join clubs, or participate in tournaments.
• Professional Scrabble involves using the official dictionary and adhering to tournament etiquette.
• The North American Scrabble Players Association (NASPA) and World English Scrabble Players Association (WESPA) are professional organizations.

Benefits of Playing Scrabble

• Playing Scrabble teaches new vocabularies.
• It develops intellectual abilities.
• It teaches strategies in forming/building words.
• It encourages social cooperation and bonding.
• It improves emotional well-being and personal confidence.
• It improves one's creativity.
• It develops one's concentration in the game.
• It fosters learning through creative play.
• It helps boosts the immune system.
• It makes you happy.

Board Games

• Board games are tabletop games using pieces on a pre-marked board, often involving other game elements.

Chess History

• Chess originated in India before the 6th century AD, spreading to Persia, Arabia, and Southern Europe.
• Chess took its current form in Europe in the 15th century.
• Modern chess tournaments began in the 19th century, with the first World Chess Championship in 1886.
• The 20th century saw chess theory advancements and the establishment of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
• The game's early form was "chaturanga," representing four military divisions.
• Chess was a battle simulation used for military strategy, mathematics, and gambling..

Chess Gameplay

• Chess is played by two people on an 8x8 board with alternating dark and light squares.
• The objective is to checkmate the opponent's King.
• The White player moves first, with players taking turns.

Chess Piece Movements

• Kings move one square in any direction, except into an attack. Can make a special move known as castling.
• Queens move diagonally, horizontally, or vertically any number of squares.
• Rooks move horizontally or vertically any number of squares and move when the king castles.
• Bishops move diagonally any number of squares.

Yoga History

• Pre-Classical Yoga
• Yoga's beginnings were developed by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Northern India over 5,000 years ago.
• The word yoga was first mentioned in the Rig Veda.
• The texts contain songs, mantras, and rituals to be used by Brahmans, the Vedic priests.

Stages of Yoga

• Classical Yoga
• Yoga was a mix of conflicting ideas until Patanjali compiled the Yoga-Sūtras.
• Patanjali's Yoga-Sūtras presented the first systematic approach to yoga.
• Patanjali is considered the father of yoga and his Yoga-Sūtras still strongly influence most styles of modern yoga.
• The text describes RAJA YOGA, often called "classical yoga."

Patanjali's Eight Limbs Path

• Patanjali organized yoga into an "eight limbed path" for achieving Samadhi or enlightenment.

Post-Classical Yoga

• Yoga masters developed practices to rejuvenate the body and prolong life, rejecting the ancient Vedas
• They embraced the physical body to achieve enlightenment developed Tantra Yoga.
• The physical spiritual connections led to Hatha Yoga
• These techniques cleanse the body and mind to break the knots that bind a man to physical existence.
• Modern Period
• Yoga masters traveled to the West in the late 1800s and early 1900s, gaining followers

Yoga in the West

• Swami Vivekananda lectured on yoga at the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago.
• T. Krishnamacharya and Swami Sivananda promoted Hatha Yoga in India in the 1920s and 30s.
• Krishnamacharya opened the first Hatha Yoga school in Mysore in 1924.
• Sivananda founded the Divine Life Society on the banks of the Ganges River in 1936
• B.K.S. Iyengar, T.K.V. Desikachar, and Pattabhi Jois continued Krishnamacharya's legacy.
• Sivananda wrote over 200 books on yoga and established numerous ashrams and yoga centers.

Yoga Origin

• Yoga unites the human spirit with the divine.
• Hatha yoga uses physical postures.
• The Sanskrit word hasha means "force," alluding to its use of physical techniques.
• Yoga can teach you how to focus and concentrate on your goals because it activates our mind and body to function regularly.
• Yoga was a mishmash of various ideas, beliefs and techniques that often conflicted and contradicted each other.

Features of Hatha Yoga

• Hatha yoga flourished from c. 1100-c. 1900 and was practiced in secret.
• Instruction was directly from guru to individual pupil
• It was associated with religions, including Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism
• It aims to manipulate vital fluids to promote liberation
• It consists of purifications, postures, locks, the directed gaze, seals, and rhythmic breathing.

Yoga as Exercise

• Yoga as exercise is a modified form of Hatha yoga focusing on postures and relaxation.
• It has become familiar worldwide
• Academics call yoga as exercise modern postural yoga and transnational anglophone yoga.
• Non-postural practices are reduced or absent.
• Some consider it secular, others view it as spiritual.
• Yoga as exercise is a multi-billion dollar business involving classes, clothing, and equipment.

Physical Fitness

• Prolonged practice of yoga leads to a sense of peace.
• Asanas cater to individual needs and physical conditions.
• It prevents sports injuries, improves the skeleton system, motor skills, concentration, and cardiovascular efficiency.
• It improves the function of the respiratory system.
• It improves strength, balance, and flexibility.
• It helps with back pain, eases arthritis symptoms, and benefits heart health.
• It can mean more energy and brighter moods and promotes better self-care.

Yoga and Sports

• Yoga enhances and supplements other activities.
• It can help to improve flexibility and endurance
• Yoga teaches breathing, posture, and improves core strength.
• By listening, you can prevent injuries.
• Yoga teaches you how to focus and concentrate on your goals.
• Yoga helps recover from injuries faster.
• Particularly helpful for knee and back pains because it improves blood flow and oxygen levels.

Running

• Running is moving faster than walking, with no feet on the ground at the same time. Requires hard work.
• It is affordable and can be done anytime and anywhere.
• Running clubs and competitions are available.

The History of Running

• Running began when early ancestors were chased by predators, before starting hunting.
• Competitive running dates back to ancient Greece, Egypt, Asia, and East Africa.
• Pheidippides was commissioned in 490 B.C.E to deliver news of victory over Persia to Athens, around 25 miles.
• Legend has it that Pheidippides ran all the way, delivered the message, and died, making running a sport in 776 B.C.E.

Exercising

• All of the choices
• All of the above
• 8
• Three weeks before the race
• 8