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April 13th - This is the birthday of a man whose invention gives pleasure to millions of people who probably don't know his name. Alfred M. Butts was an unemployed architect during the depression, and he developed the board game Scrabble to while away the time with his friends. An executive with Macy's saw the game being played and his department store soon began carrying it. Butts received three cents royalty for each set. He said taxes took up one cent, he gave one cent to charity and enjoyed a good life with the rest. Today, Scrabble is still enjoyed in many American households. Board games remain popular even in the face of modern day electronics and are part of the annual 4.5-billion dollars worth of games, toys and children's vehicles sold each year.

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