A strange little side quest
Between one round of Paint the Mammoth and the next, this is worth knowing: The Oregon Trail began in 1971 when three student teachers created a computer simulation to help Minnesota schoolchildren learn American history. There is another connection worth keeping in the same mental pocket: Computer Space reached arcades in 1971 and became one of the earliest commercial electronic arcade games, even though its controls proved demanding for many players. It is a good reminder that simple game mechanics can carry a surprising amount of history.
