AUGUSTA — Milton Bradley, a Maine native credited with launching the board game industry in North America, is the subject of a talk to be given Wednesday, April 11, at the Maine State Museum.

The illustrated talk by David Richards, interim director of the University of Maine Margaret Chase Smith Library in Skowhegan, is titled “Milton Bradley and the Checkered Game of Life.”

The free talk, part of the “Highlights at the Maine State Museum” series begins at 6:30 p.m.

Another series program, at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 14 , will feature the Maine Squeeze Accordion Ensemble. Admission is free to both the performance and the museum.

The six members of Maine Squeeze have entertained audiences statewide at festivals, fairs and concert venues. The group performs a repertoire of popular and eclectic music from around the world. Singing, dancing, and toe-tapping will be in tap.

Bradley, who was born in Vienna, released his first game, “Checkered Game of Life,” in 1860. Its great public success led to the sale of 45,000 copies in the first year.

“Milton Bradley is proving to be an interesting subject, both to me and to audiences who remember their own favorite Milton Bradley games,” Richards said.

The Milton Bradley Company continued to dominate the production of games through the 1900s, with more recent, familiar games such as “The Game of Life,” “Candyland,” “Battleship,” and “Operation.”

The museum will display board games from its collections during Richards’  talk and attendees are invited to bring their own Milton Bradley Co. games to show during the evening.

A student majoring in history at Bates College, Richards received a Ph.D. in history from the University of New Hampshire. His doctoral dissertation became the book, “Poland Spring: A Tale of the Gilded Age, 1860-1900,” which analyzes the history of the famous Maine resort and water source.

The Maine State Museum is  in the State House Complex off State Street. For more information, call 287-2301 or visit www.mainestatemuseum.org.