21st December: Crossword Puzzle Day

Crossword Puzzle Day on December 21st commemorates the birth of a challenging word game enjoyed by millions around the world.

They were simple word games derived from the word squares where letters were arranged in a square so that the words read the same across and down.

The object of a crossword puzzle is to fill in the white spaces of a grid with the correct words using the clues provided. Black spaces separate individual words. The clues to more challenging puzzles read like riddles, making the game more complex.

History

Did you know that the first crossword puzzle was created by Arthur Wynne and published on December 21, 1913, in the New York World Newspaper? Wynne’s puzzle was diamond shaped and contained no internal black squares. However, it was so popular with readers that within a decade crossword puzzles were featured in almost all American newspapers.

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