Card game:The New Game! Historical Topics

Edson C. Eastman copyrighted his "new" card game, Historical Topics, in 1879. It is doubtful that it was the first Authors-style matching game with history as a topic. However he proudly proclaimed, on its box cover, that it was "Destined to be the moist successful Game ever published, because (it is) the most Useful, Entertaining, Instructive." It is a good example of how game makers at this time made games that were both instructive, to appeal to the parents who might buy it, and entertaining.