On December 21, 1913, the New York World newspaper printed the first published crossword puzzle. The puzzle was created by Arthur Wynne, a journalist who hailed from Liverpool, England. Though the word puzzle was not an entirely original idea, Wynne’s version was the first to be published and made available to a large audience. Though the puzzle was an instant phenomenon, it was not until the publishing group Simon & Schuster published a book of crossword puzzles in 1924 that the game became popular throughout the country.
When Wynne’s first puzzle was published, the New York Times published an opinion article that referred to crossword puzzles as “a primitive sort of mental exercise” and a “sinful waste” of time. They suggested its popularity was of a fleeting sort. Ironically, the Times’ crossword is now the most famous crossword in the country. It was actually the bombing of Pearl Harbor that led to the New York Times changing its tune. After Pearl Harbor, the Sunday Times editor wrote to the publisher: “We ought to proceed with the puzzle, especially in view of the fact it is possible there will now be bleak blackout hours—or if not that then certainly a need for relaxation of some kind or other.” On February 15, 1942, the New York Times published their first crossword puzzle. Now, over 500,000 people subscribe to the Times crossword and crossword books are sold in their thousands each year in every bookstore around.
Though today’s puzzles might look different than the first one published in 1913, can you solve Wynne’s famous diamond game?
Learn more here:
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/17/insider/first-crossword.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/14/crosswords/new-york-times-crossword-timeline.html
- https://library.tc.columbia.edu/blog/content/2021/december/24676—today-in-history-first-modern-crossword-puzzle-is-published.php
- https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/2013/dec/20/100-years-crosswords-first-new-york
- https://www.crosswordtournament.com/more/wynne.html