I’ve been thinking about the Ouija board, why you ask? I am a big fan of the paranormal almost as much as Dan Aykroyd himself, an actor best known for Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters just to name a couple. He’s always had an interest in the occult and paranormal. I myself, have taken it up as a quirky sort of hobby owning some devices that help detect possible ghostly phenomenon. My recent purchase was the Ouija board. I did some research on the history of this “oracle board.”
For more than a century, people have been enthralled with the Ouija board( I know I have), a mysterious device that is used to communicate with the afterlife. It is a common cultural object that evokes both fascination and fear due to its fascinating ability to seemingly connect the living with the dead. However, where did this enigmatic board come from, and how did it gain popularity as a resource for people looking for answers outside of the material world?
The origins of the Ouija board story can be traced back to the American rise in spiritualism in the middle of the 1800s, which was the belief that living people could have communication with the dead. In the midst of this spiritual fervor, the notion of developing a tool to aid in communication with the afterlife emerged. Together with Helen Peters, Charles Kennard’s sister-in-law, Elijah Bond, a businessman, and Kennard, a manufacturer of games and toys, created what would eventually be called the Ouija board in 1886. Although the origins of the board’s name are unclear, it is generally accepted that it came from the combination of the German and French words for “yes,” “ja” and “oui,”
William Fuld, who eventually came to own the Kennard Novelty Company and went on to make millions. Sounds great right? Not so much for Mr. Fuld, after consulting the Ouija board he was told by the board to build a factory in Baltimore. I’m not sure if I were you if I’d listened to said board because tragedy be-felled Mr Fuld. While he was overseeing a flag pole installation he fell to his death due to a faulty iron railing giving way.
There are other reports where deaths occurred, but most are speculations and accusations. Mostly the board is known nowadays as an iconic device seen in horror movies, television shows, and books where bad things do happen and it is a gateway/ oracle speaking from beyond, but what are your thoughts? Do you think the Ouija board predicted future deaths or occurrences? Did the Ouija board make them do it? You decide.
As Always, Keep On Brewin.