The History of Crossword Puzzles
When riding on public transport or sitting idly in a cafe, a crossword puzzle is an excellent way to pass the time. Although widespread now, the puzzles you know today have a relatively short history.
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Ancient Times
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The crossword puzzle is based on what is known as "word squares," a type of acrostic in which there is a set of words that can be read the same way vertically and horizontally. The number of words must be equal to the number of letters in each word. An ancient game, dating back to Pompeii, a true 10-word "word square," has yet to be completed.
The First Crossword Puzzle
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Liverpool journalist Arthur Wynne published the first crossword puzzle in Sunday newspaper, New York World, on December 12, 1913. The first puzzle was diamond-shaped, provided one clue for every two numbers and did not include the blackout squares we see today.
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The New York Times Holdout
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Crossword puzzles spread to other major newspapers, the last of which was The New York Times, in 1942. The newspaper felt that the puzzle was childish, sinful, and provided for no real mental development.
British vs. American Crosswords
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As the puzzle evolved, Britain developed its own style of puzzle. The much more difficult "cryptic" style puzzle is generally placed beside a traditional puzzle in most British newspapers. In comparison, American puzzles tend to be simpler.
Crosswords in WWII
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The military began to suspect crossword setter Leonard Dawe of espionage in the last spring of 1944 after many of his puzzles included codewords from the planned military invasion Operation Overlord. After investigation, officials found that Dawe was innocent and in 1986 a student of Dawe's confessed he had picked up words to use for the puzzles around a military camp.
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References
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