Milton C. Work: America’s Bridge Master

Biographical Bytes from Bala #045 for mid-June 2025

The card games whist and bridge arrived in Victorian Philadelphia and captivated its upper-class population. Bridge clubs formed all over town, but people soon realized the man in the know was Milton C. Work, a Philadelphia lawyer. A scoring system that Work popularized for contract bridge remains the one that most players use today.

Learn about the history of playing cards, the development of bid games, and a lot more on this month's episode.