The Ouija board claims to allow players to connect with and question the ghosts of the dead. Of course, most individuals just know this basic notion, so we’ve provided you with some information.

1. Origins of Names

The name for the spirit board was presumably supplied by the board itself, according to the man who obtained the patent for the board game. According to legend, the man in question, Elijah Bond, sat with the board with his sister-in-law and sought naming guidance.

They were guided by the planchette (the little piece you place your hand on) to spell “Ouija.” “Good Luck,” the board said when asked what that meant.

2. Game Rules

Since the beginning, the Ouija board has been sold with Game Rules that have never agreed on what would happen if they were not followed precisely. Some versions said that otherworldly entities would be summoned, while others claimed that it would result in possession or the opening of a portal to Hell.

The countless movies that followed didn’t help matters at all, but everyone was probably too eager to get started playing right away to read the directions.

However, there were three basic rules that were allegedly never to be broken: never ask the board when you were going to die, never play alone, and never discuss God.

3. Patent

A rigorous description of how the patented item functions is required in patents. The patent for the Ouija board, on the other hand, did not. This was due to the manner in which Elijah Bond obtained the patent. He allegedly showed the patents officer a board and demonstrated it. He allegedly went in not knowing the officer’s name and had the board spell it out for him.

The officer was so terrified that he approved the patent without looking at the documentation.

4. Once used in a trial

In 1994, jurors queried a Ouija board about the real culprit during the trial of Stephen Young, a 35-year-old insurance salesman accused of murdering newlyweds Harry and Nicola Fuller. Young was allegedly found guilty by the jury after the board informed them.

Young was granted a new trial after it was proven that the Ouija board played a role in his conviction. He was found guilty again again.

5. Crimes of Violence

Throughout the history of the Ouija board, the spirit board has been accused for a number of violent crimes. The majority of these incidents arose following the release of films that were allegedly “based on genuine stories,” such as the example of an ex-mayor in Oklahoma who was stabbed to death in his sleep by his mother-in-law, who said the board instructed her he was evil and needed to be murdered.

In 2014, a man said the board commanded him to kill his family dog, and his wife and stepdaughter also believed they were going to die after using the same board. As a result, they set fire to their home.

6. Adaptations of Films

The Ouija board got a bad rep after the iconic horror film The Exorcist, in which a young girl was possessed by a demon using a Ouija board. The producers said it was based on a factual story, which created widespread fears that the board was a portal to Hell.

The board game’s sales dropped, and many people still assume it is more than a simple board game. The following stigma attracted some purchasers, which is likely why the game survives now.

7. Science

The board game can be explained by the Ideomotor Effect for individuals who don’t believe in ghosts and spirits. This phenomenon was also used to explain automatic writing, which is when someone trains their hand to write “on its own.” All of these automatic hand movements, according to the Ideomotor effect, are truly controlled by your mind, and your hands are softly steered by your unconscious thoughts.

8. Alcoholic Anonymous

According to Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholic Anonymous, he devised the renowned 12-step recovery programme using a ouija board under the guidance of a 15th century monk named Boniface. He had a’spook-room’ in his house where he spent a lot of time trying to communicate with the spirits of the dead.

Wilson was also a noted LSD user, having participated in LSD experiments with Aldous Huxley.

9. The Mystery of the True Origins

The origins of such a well-known board game are a mystery. Nobody can genuinely confirm the true origins of a spirit board with any proof. Of course, there are countless possibilities, but none of them are supported by evidence. Automatic writing, in which mediums claim to have written down messages from spirits, has been related to Ouija boards. Others have compared the board to ancient Chinese writing instruments or Pythagoras, who is claimed to have designed similar boards about 540 BC.

There is no solid evidence for any of these theories.

10. Outsold Monopoly During WWI

Most people believed in ghosts before The Exorcist was released in 1973, and practically every family had a Ouija board. In fact, the board was marketed as a fun family game or a fun date activity filled with mystery and suspense. During WWI, the board game even outsold Monopoly in terms of sales.

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