If someone were to have given you 200 pounds in 1902, that would be equal to a little less than 25,000 pounds today.

Click the link to convert 25,000 British pounds to American Dollars. How many dollars would that be? What might a smart person do with that kind of money?

Money? Ending world hunger? To live forever?

Live forever? Hmmmm... all of your friends will die...

A million dollars? What if you got it in pennies?

Our story begins on a cold, rainy night when the family is relaxing next to the fireplace. Sergeant Morris decides to visit them, and begins to entertain them by sharing one of his exotic tales of his life abroad. He tells them about a mummified monkey's paw which has the ability to grant 3 wishes, but the wishes come with a high price for interfering with fate.

•Check Mate!: This is what players say when they capture the other player's king and win the game.

•By the early 1900's England had conquered and colonized countries all over the world.

•Empire’s East India Company: transported various natural resources, textiles, and opium from the company’s base back to Europe, spurred colonial monopoly in the area.

•British travels to Asia, both military and commercial, became more frequent

•Returnees often brought back tall tales with which to regale their friends.

•Because of a lack of cultural understanding or sensitivity, many British travelers were fascinated by what they perceived as “exotic” East Asia, leading to a superstitious view of artifacts and people from the region.

•Increased automation in factories, therefore increasing jobs.

•It took some time before workers’ safety was sufficiently accounted for, making factory work an often-dangerous experience.

•The quick and efficient manufacture of goods allowed Great Britain to further cement themselves as a global economic powerhouse.

•Examples:

When an employee is injured or hurt while at work, the company is legally obligated to compensate (give money to) that employee or the family.

If you got into a car accident and it was your fault, you may be liable for the damages.

One of these is Arabian Nights, originally called The Thousand and One Nights. Arabian Nights is a well-known Eastern storybook, in which there is a magic genie in Aladdin's lamp, who also grants three wishes.

In the story "The Monkey's Paw," a character references this by saying,

“Sounds like the Arabian Nights. Don’t you think you might wish for four pairs of hands for me?”