National Crossword Puzzle Day

Crossword Puzzle Day on December 21st commemorates the birth of a challenging word game enjoyed by millions around the world. The first crossword puzzles were published in England in children’s books and other publications. 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.

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.

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.

Many tout the benefits of crossword puzzles. Not only are they fun, but challenging crossword puzzles may help delay the effects of dementia or sharpen the brain for problem-solving. They can also increase vocabulary and even relieve the mind from the day’s stress by focusing on something other than worldly problems.

Studies have shown that doing crossword puzzles prevents dementia, improves verbal skills, helps practice problem solving skills, helps the brain identify patterns, and improves your ability to do trivia. That’s a lot of wins — and a lot of reasons to become a master crossword puzzle solver. Up your crossword puzzle game and win at trivia the next time you play with your friends!