The History of Crossword Puzzles
For many, doing the crossword puzzle in the newspaper is part of a daily ritual. People all over the world enjoy the word puzzle game. In fact, crossword puzzles are considered by some to be "the most popular and widespread game in the world". The first published crossword puzzle was invented by Arthur Wynne in 1913. The Origins of the Crossword The precursor to modern crossword puzzles first appeared in England in the 19th century. The first crossword puzzles were extremely simple. Known as a children's game, these crossword puzzles were primarily printed in children's puzzle books. The format was different from the modern crossword puzzle. These puzzles were a type of word square, with a group of words arranged so that the letters read both vertically and horizontally. Crossword Inventor Arthurs Wynne Arthur Wynne is credited with the invention of the first published crossword puzzle. Wynne, an immigrant from Liverpool, England, worked for the ...