Home & Garden Antiques & Arts & Crafts

The Origins of Crossword Puzzles

Crossword puzzles are some of the most popular hobbies in the world.
Since their invention, they've appeared in almost every newspaper in the world and there are popular magazines and books devoted to them.
In this article we'll delve a little bit into the history of crossword puzzles.
Word puzzles have been around for centuries - there have been word square puzzles found in ruins at Pompeii, and have been written about in Roman history.
Crosswords are one of the newer types of word puzzle, having only been around for just over one hundred years.
Common myth attributes the invention of the first recorded crossword puzzle to Arthur Wynne, a journalist from Liverpool, England in around 1913 however this is not the case.
Two decades before that, an Italian called Giuseppe Airoldi created a four-by-four grid puzzle which was published in an Italian magazine in 1890.
While it would not be recognizable as the crossword we know and love today, it was clearly the inspiration where future puzzles derived from.
Arthur Wynne's "word-cross" puzzle (Later renamed to 'Crossword Puzzle') was first published in the New York World, and soon caused a sensation.
Puzzle lovers descended on their local libraries to use the dictionaries and encyclopedias, and were satirized in cartoons of the day.
There was public debate on whether crossword puzzles were beneficial as a learning tool or not, and some magazines publicly denounced them.
It was clear that crosswords were a sensation, and it was only a short time before over twenty five newspapers and magazines were publishing them.
Soon, publishers began to produce books entirely devoted to playing or solving word puzzles.
The next real innovation in crosswords was the cryptic puzzle, imported from England in 1968 which involves very difficult clues derived from puns, metaphors and lateral thinking.
Soon, these puzzles were available throughout the world in a variety of languages and are now a common puzzle for all ages.
SHARE
RELATED POSTS on "Home & Garden"
Handling Battery Power Issues For Remote Control Helicopter
Handling Battery Power Issues For Remote Control Helicopter
Tallow For Candles
Tallow For Candles
Clocks For the Beginning Collector
Clocks For the Beginning Collector
Origin-Of-Theater-Arts
Origin-Of-Theater-Arts
Donruss Studio Baseball
Donruss Studio Baseball
Ghost Pin Craft
Ghost Pin Craft
The Art of Sandblasting and Its Artistic Design
The Art of Sandblasting and Its Artistic Design
Opt To Send Beautiful Flowers Through Flower Delivery Mumbai
Opt To Send Beautiful Flowers Through Flower Delivery Mumbai
How To Lose Weight On A Treadmill
How To Lose Weight On A Treadmill
How To Avoid Buying Fake Autographs
How To Avoid Buying Fake Autographs
Garage Sale Tips: How to Make Your Garage Sale a Success
Garage Sale Tips: How to Make Your Garage Sale a Success
The history of gold silver and bronze antiques
The history of gold silver and bronze antiques
Wall Decor Project: Easy Inexpensive Closet Flowers
Wall Decor Project: Easy Inexpensive Closet Flowers
Coca Cola Jukebox 2 Cookie Jar
Coca Cola Jukebox 2 Cookie Jar
July 30th, 2013 Calendar of Events
July 30th, 2013 Calendar of Events
Cat-IN-The-Hat Halloween Costume
Cat-IN-The-Hat Halloween Costume
The Joy of Kite Flying
The Joy of Kite Flying
Beaded Jewelry 101 - Designing Your Own Jewelry - Color
Beaded Jewelry 101 - Designing Your Own Jewelry - Color
How to Buy Old Stamps
How to Buy Old Stamps
Easter Bunny Keepsake Box, for Boys and Girls
Easter Bunny Keepsake Box, for Boys and Girls
Pyrography (Fire Art on Wood) for Pleasure or Profit- Eight Tips For Starting Up A Small Business
Pyrography (Fire Art on Wood) for Pleasure or Profit- Eight Tips For Starting Up A Small Business
Leder Oder Plastik?
Leder Oder Plastik?
Tips and Information on Afghan Crochet Patterns
Tips and Information on Afghan Crochet Patterns

Leave Your Reply

*