He was on a slow boat to Havana, with little more to do than read and play cards, and all the card games seemed boring, too dependent on luck instead of wits. So Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, scion of the New York Central Railroad family, repaired to his stateroom to see what he could do.

Hours later, it came to him. Have players bid games and slams. Devise a scoring system that rewards accurate judgment. Penalize players who fail to make bids. Here was a game suitable for people of his intelligence. Vanderbilt put it to the test with fellow-travelers out there on the ocean and, by God, it worked.

Thus, in 1925, the modern game of bridge was born.