One of the earliest documented references to a word-guessing game in America comes from a short story published in the Philadelphia Inquirer in February 1902. The article invited readers to bring their “accustomed cleverness” to a “Waite [sic] cap party,” describing these gatherings as the latest social trend. Although this account is fictional, it details elements now familiar in many word guessing games: a scaffold, a blackboard, and the mental selection of a noun, either proper or common.
White Cap Parties
Today, the rules of word-guessing games are widely known and enjoyed by people of all ages. Typically, one player selects a secret word, and the others try to guess it by suggesting letters. If the word is not revealed before a set number of incorrect guesses, a visual cue—often a stick-figure drawing—is completed to represent the failed attempts. This simple yet engaging format has made word-guessing games a timeless pastime.
While this part of the Hangman story is presented as fictional, the newspaper goes on to describe elements familiar to the modern game – a scaffold, a blackboard, and a “mental choice of any noun, proper or common.”
The rules of the game are known to most people today. Pick a word, and then the other players have to pick letters until either the word is revealed or the maximum number of guesses is exceeded. The latter is represented by the body parts of a person, reformed in pen or pencil.
Wheel of Fortune
What some people might not know is that Hangman was at least a partial inspiration for Wheel of Fortune, owing to inventor Merv Griffin’s experience playing it on roadtrips. Here’s where things get a little convoluted.
Wheel of Fortune is not the original Wheel of Fortune – at least, not the guessing game that’s been airing in the United States since 1925 and is now entering its 43rd season. The original Wheel of Fortune, broadcast from 1952 to 1953, highlighted the good work that ordinary people did, a bit like the UK’s This is Your Life with Michael Aspel.
After the more familiar Wheel of Fortune debuted in the US in 1975, the British version appeared in 1988. The game show has continued to go through changes on both sides of the Atlantic, recently becoming a digital property on the app stores and casino websites.
RSTLN and E
The Android and iOS app is almost identical to its namesake on cable in gameplay, but the Wheel of Fortune Megaways casino game on the Hippodrome website plays more like a slot machine. It features luxury prizes – cars, boats, a private jet – as symbols.
The casino industry has recently adopted wheel-based game shows as a companion to traditional experiences like blackjack and roulette. Even the Monopoly-branded lobbies and Snakes and Ladders Live include a wheel.
Of course, Wheel of Fortune isn’t just Hangman. The format introduced elements like the option to buy vowels and the opening ‘gift’ of RSTLN and E added during 1988. It wouldn’t be too difficult to incorporate them into the pen-and-paper game, for fans looking to get more life from each body part.
Read More: Jonathan Rowe Euro Hero: England U21 Champions Again