National Puzzle Day celebrates the history of puzzles, including sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, and crossword puzzles. The first jigsaw puzzles were created by British cartographer John Spilsbury in the 18th century, teaching geography.
(Credit: The New York times)
National Puzzle Day 2024: National Puzzle Day is January 29, which makes it the ideal day for some mental training. Puzzles, such as Sudoku, jigsaws, and crosswords, stimulate our minds in several ways. Researchers have shown that solving jigsaw puzzles helps us use both sides of our brains, which enhances our memory, cognitive abilities, and problem-solving techniques. People can enhance a variety of talents and exercise their brains by using puzzles.
The concept of utilizing words creatively dates back to ancient Rome, even if puzzles, as we know them now, are a relatively contemporary innovation. They would frequently rearrange letters in novel and ingenious ways to produce new words during this period. They also used word squares and palindromes, which are words or phrases that are spelled the same way forward and backward.
The history of jigsaw puzzles is far more recent. The first iterations of these puzzles, now seen as recreational activities, were essentially instructional tools, especially in the context of teaching geography.
It appears that a British cartographer and engraver by the name of John Spilsbury created the first jigsaw puzzles in the middle of the eighteenth century. He began by attaching a map of Europe to a piece of wood, then carving out each nation. Children were then taught about the many nations on the continent using these. Because of their financial success, Spilsbury went on to publish further maps, such as the World Map and maps of Asia, Africa, America, and the British Isles.
The Industrial Revolution advanced puzzle-making techniques to produce lighter, more portable puzzles with a variety of themes as the puzzles gained popularity. Then, as the United States entered the Great Depression in the late 1920s, puzzles gained popularity as a diversion because of their low cost and ability to be shared among families.
Of course, modern jigsaw puzzles are typically constructed from glued cardboard layers with a picture adhered to the top. Instead of using a jigsaw at all, they now cut the parts using a type of laser cutting.
Around the same time as the jigsaw puzzle originated, Sudoku was also under development. The puzzle itself originated in Switzerland, where a numbers game known as Latin Squares was created, despite the name being obviously Japanese. However, the modern version of sudoku didn’t truly take off until 1979, when a game was published in an Indiana, USA, word games magazine. When it was published in Japan five years later, the game was renamed Sudoku from its original name, Number Place. That became the moniker that stuck.
The history of crossword puzzles is even more recent—they were first used in 1913. According to legend, it was only created because Arthur Wynne, the editor of New York World, wanted a method to fill up some space in his newspaper’s “fun” section around Christmastime. This “Word Cross Puzzle” gained popularity practically immediately and has been in high demand ever since.
There are other riddles besides the ones in the above list, though. Brain teasers, logic puzzles, cryptic puzzles, riddles, and many more problems can be enjoyed on the day. It’s a fun celebration on National Puzzle Day!
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Do you have an unfinished old puzzle lying around? Make a pal a call and take some time to finish assembling a puzzle. Extra credit for finishing the problem!
Pausing for coffee? Take out that handy Sudoku or crossword problem booklet.
After finishing your crossword, Sudoku, or jigsaw puzzle, do you feel accomplished? Use the hashtag #NationalPuzzleDay when sharing it with your online network to get others to join in on the fun!
People who play cooperative games like puzzles report higher levels of satisfaction and, occasionally, relaxation since they are just plain fun. Unquestionably, a difficult jigsaw puzzle awakens the feeling of happiness.
not only in an individual sense but also in a collective one. Priceless is the sensation you get when you and your closest friends finish the last few pieces of the puzzle.
Solving puzzles keeps the brain engaged and improves math and problem solving skills.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | January 29 | Monday |
| 2025 | January 29 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | January 29 | Thursday |
| 2027 | January 29 | Friday |
| 2028 | January 29 | Saturday |
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