By: Eli VlaisavljevichHaving heard myths of the famous “Banker Mutinies” throughout the ports over the years, Briggs was smart enough to appoint a banker right away and who better than the only banker on the voyage, Alan C. Greedy (nice to finally learn where the term greedy is derived from). Unlike our current games of Monopoly played with fake money, the avid gamblers on the Mary Celeste would not let this take place so the entire crew sat down to play the game with many risking their life savings. The Monopoly battle that ensued was recorded by Briggs in great detail (too much to describe here but can be read in his journal at Harvard.edu) and lasted for 36 days. During this time, fortunes were won and lost while alliances formed among the crew. After Briggs landed on Parkplace (plus a hotel) on the 36th day, the fate of the Mary Celeste began to be on shaky ground. The owner of this property was none other than the first mate, Richardson. With the Captain in debt to the first mate and looking for a way out (Briggs writes extensively about his family he had to support and how badly he needed his money back), Briggs decided there was only one thing he could do to prevent losing the ship and get Richardson to forgive the debt and that was to make Richardson believe that Briggs could make his lifelong fantasy of being a famous singer come true. Briggs went through his desk looking over all his folders and old notes from back when he was casting director for opening acts for Shakespeare’s plays and found the one folder he was looking for with writing on the surface that said “Ahead of its time”.

Briggs rushed back out to Richardson and the crew and screamed, “Who will be the first American Idol?” Richardson’s eyes lit up as he had thought this singing competition was only a myth his entire life but it was now a reality. Without any argument, Richardson returned the money to Briggs in return for a place in the competition and a chance to achieve his dreams. Briggs, however, had learned from his mistake of involving himself in games with the crew after the Monopoly experience, so he decided he would be the only judge for Idol. As night fell on the eve of the Idol opening Briggs writes, “There is a sense of excitement in the air, although Richardson is the initial favorite, there will be stiff competition amongst the twelve crew members and I have some tricks up my sleeve for the finale as well.”

Truth of the Mary Celeste: It Goes On and On My Friend

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In December 1872, the Mary Celeste was found unmanned and abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean (1). This mystery is often cited as the greatest marine mystery of alltime with many fictional accounts written attempting to explain what occurred aboard the famous ship. The ship was found in good condition with all of the cargo and personal items of the crew remaining intact (2). For years this mystery has been debated until recent evidence has led historians and scientists alike to an entirely new account based upon the journal of Captain Benjamin S. Briggs which was recently purchased by scholars at Harvard University on ebay last month giving detailed insight into the days leading up to the ship’s discovery.

The gripping tale of what actually happened aboard this famous ship begins, as Briggs describes in his notes, with the finding of a mysterious box floating towards the boat one cold November morning. When first mate Albert Richardson pulled the box aboard he was amazed at the contents it held inside which was like nothing he had ever seen before. Inside the box was another box wrapped neatly in plastic and through this clear wrapping he read the word “Monopoly”. As can be expected, the scholars at Harvard were ecstatic to not only have a clue to the Mary Celeste mystery but to have finally discovered the answer as to where the original copy of Monopoly ended up after the famous Pirate attacks of 1854, when this edition was stolen and eventually thrown into the ocean after the famous “Who is going to be the banker” mutiny that left the largest Pirate fleet in the Atlantic in ruins. After discovery, Richardson brought the box to the Captain who decided it was a good omen that the box made it to the ship and that it would be good luck for the entire crew to play the game the next day, a decision which Briggs later described as the first domino in his demise.